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Friday, June 28, 2019

Stonewall and the Road to Freedom

Fifty Years . . . we've come so far and still have a ways to go

As a freshman in summer school at the University of Texas, I remember being astonished when I heard about the Stonewall Riots in June of 1969.  I knew I was gay, but having grown up in rural Texas, I was also very deep in the closet.  I remember thinking how brave (and perhaps foolish) those people were.  Fifty years later, I have a deep sense of respect and gratitude.  Yes, I eventually got out there and marched myself, and I came out to people so they would know and understand gay people on a personal level instead of the awful stereotypes of the era.  Anything I could do, however, was nothing compared to those heroic souls who stood up and said,  "No more!"

So I'm posting a special series today to commemorate this epic event in gay history.  I know that not all of my viewers are gays, but I think all of us can appreciate the importance of Stonewall.  It started us on the road to freedom, and it is our responsibility to see that we honor their sacrifices and make sure that we reach full equality.  There is still work to be done.

4 comments:

  1. To my eternal shame, I have to admit that I had never heard of Stonewall until President Obama talked about it in a speech!

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  2. I was so Young at the time that I completely missed the message ! Shame on me .

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  3. I think this is actually from the "White Night" riots in San Francisco after Dan White was only convicted of voluntary manslaughter, after killing the mayor and Harvey Milk. The glass doors of SF City Hall are pretty distinctive.

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    1. Yeah, I didn't think that looked like the Stonewall. Important, yes, but mistagged.

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