Happy Anniversary, Stonewall

by Michael Jones · 2009-06-28 09:42:00 UTC
Topics:

Stonewall

After a week's worth of anticipation, today officially marks the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the event that catapulted the LGBT rights movement into the forefront of American politics and culture.  And the coverage?  Well, it's all over the stratosphere.

Below we're offering our five best video snapshots at Stonewall. From the BBC to the AARP (and every other initial in between!), folks are doing an amazing job of drawing attention to the riots that launched a movement. Check out the clips below...and happy anniversary, Stonewall!

5. BBC News: Stonewall Veteran Recalls Gay Riot. In this BBC News clip, SW veteran Martin Boyce talks about the night the riots started, and the frenetic and spontaneous clip at which the riot moved over the next 24 hours.

4. San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus: 40 Years After Stonewall. A screen cap of a rainbow flag flying in the wind starts this video off, which then morphs into scenes of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus (the first gay chorus in the country) performing at various venues. The narration ties the struggle for equal rights during the Stonewall days to the struggle for equal rights during the No on 8 days.

3. Democracy Now - Stonewall Riots 40th Anniversary. Democracy Now has a series of videos and commentary on the significance of Stonewall. Below is Part One. Parts Two and Three are available here and here.

2. CBS News Does Stonewall 101. CBS News correspondent Itay Hod pulls a "jaywalking" type story with this piece that takes to the street to ask people how much they know about the Stonewall Riots. It's a bit tongue in cheek, but it also shows that the historical impact of Stonewall hasn't hit home for people who didn't live through it.

1. AARP TV: Stonewall at 40. One of the largest advocacy agencies in the world tackles the anniversary of Stonewall, with this great piece that asks, "Have gay rights progressed all that much since Stonewall?" The video features original footage of the night of the riots, as well.

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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