Documenting Stonewall

by Michael Jones · 2009-05-14 04:20:00 UTC
Topics:

Stonewall

The New York Public Library, prepping for the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots on June 28, is launching an exhibit to document the impact of Stonewall and the early days of the gay liberation movement.  The exhibit, "1969: The Year of Gay Liberation," chronicles the birth year of the modern LGBT rights movement, starting with the riots at the Stonewall Inn in 1969 up through NYC's first gay pride march in 1970.

The show's curator, Jason Baumann, told EdgeNewYork:

"This exhibition charts a historic and pivotal moment in history for gays and lesbians that goes beyond New York City. The year 1969 marks the first time homosexuals united, demanded, and were willing to fight for full inclusion within American society. As a result of the actions taken during this time, gays and lesbians marked a paradigmatic shift in the ways that not only they saw themselves but also how the world would see them."

NYC, for its part, is really stepping up its game to promote LGBT tourism in the wake of Stonewall's 40th anniversary.  City officials have launched a tourist campaign known as the "Rainbow Pilgrimage," which is encouraging LGBT folks from around the world to visit NYC in June 2009 to witness where the birth of the modern gay rights movement began.  They've even got a Web site - http://nycgo.com/gay.

As New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (herself openly lesbian) has said, New York is the birthplace of a movement.  And as we go through struggles for equality today - whether it's to legalize same-sex marriage, or combat global homophobia - there's much to be learned from Stonewall.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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