New York Public Library celebrates “Gay Liberation”
(New York) In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, an event many view as the catalyst for the modern gay rights movement, the New York Public Library will host an exhibition titled 1969: The Year of Gay Liberation.
The exhibition, highlighting the rise of various gay rights groups, …
LA gay pride parade darkened by US stance on marriage
The mayors of Los Angeles and San Francisco joined gay rights groups Sunday in raising concerns about the Obama administration’s defense of a federal law restricting same-sex marriage.
“I think it’s a big mistake,” San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said shortly before he and his Los Angeles counterpart, Antonio Villaraigosa, kicked off the annual L.A. Pride parade in West Hollywood. The mayors, potential rivals in next year’s Democratic primary for governor, were each careful to avoid direct criticism of President Obama.
But their mutual disapproval of a Justice Department brief filed Thursday in support of the Defense of Marriage Act comes amid growing discontent with Obama among gay rights groups.
The battle over same-sex marriage added a serious note to the West Hollywood celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village that launched the modern gay rights movement.
See LA gay pride parade darkened by US stance on marriage
Los Angeles Time
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Revisiting 1969 and the Start of Gay Liberation
On Friday afternoon, officials from the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising and also to honor Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month.
The embrace of the gay rights movement by Wall Street — the title of the stock exchange event was “From Stonewall to Federal Hall” — was a striking example of how much things have changed for lesbians and gay men in four decades. The change is brought into relief in a monthlong exhibition, “1969: The Year of Gay Liberation,” that opened June 1 at the New York Public Library.
Using the Stonewall uprising, which began in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, as a starting point, the exhibition focuses on the pivotal months that followed, charting the emergence of a new strain of militant activism — exemplified by groups like the Gay Liberation Front, Radicalesbians and the Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries — that expressed a new vision of gay freedom.
The activist vision of that era, the exhibition suggests, was more far-reaching than the so-called homophile movement, which had used a more cautious approach, and also more critical of societal institutions like the family than the contemporary gay rights movement, which has been dominated in recent years by the debate over same-sex marriage.
Jason Baumann, who curated the exhibition and also coordinates the extensive collection of gay materials in the library’s Manuscripts and Archives Division, contrasted the new exhibition with “Becoming Visible: The Legacy of Stonewall,” the library’s landmark show in 1994 on the history of gay and lesbian life in New York.
Photo: Photo: Diana Davies. Gay Liberation Front marches on Times Square, 1969.
See Revisiting 1969 and the Start of Gay Liberation
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NY exhibit on gay rights hits amid marriage debate
As exhibitions go, the New York Public Library’s “1969: The Year of Gay Liberation” could hardly have chosen better timing.
With debate raging over same-sex marriage across the United States, the library in midtown Manhattan opened the exhibit on Monday to mark the 40th anniversary of the so-called Stonewall riots that triggered the modern U.S. gay rights movement.
Photos, documents, clippings from the gay media and other artifacts illustrate what was a shocking development at the time: homosexual men and women coming out of the closet to demonstrate for their civil rights, often at great risk.
The free exhibit will run at the main branch all of June.
“We tend to forget how radical these activists were. They risked their lives and safety for this cause. That’s what this exhibition is about,” said Jason Baumann, the curator.
Starting around June 28, 1969, the Stonewall riots refer to a week of violent clashes on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village between patrons of a gay bar called the Stonewall and police who had periodically raided the bar, arresting gays under morals laws of the era. See NY exhibit on gay rights hits amid marriage debate
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President hails gay pride month
President Obama has issued a proclamation honoring “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Pride Month 2009.”
Gay pride month is observed every June to commemorate the “Stonewall riots,” an uprising that took place in 1969 when police tried to arrest gay patrons at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. The bar is shown here on the 25th anniversary of those events — widely viewed at the beginning of the modern gay rights movement.
Brad Luna of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay rights organization, says Obama’s proclamation is not a first: Former president Bill Clinton regularly recognized gay pride month during his second term in office. But Luna says Obama is right in claiming that he has tapped more openly gay nominees for high profile posts early in his administration than any previous president.
See a few excerpts from the president’s proclamation @ President hails gay pride month USA Today –
- It’s out: White House resolution honors 40th anniversary of … San Francisco Chronicle
Clinton vows to fight for gay rights abroad AFP - Clinton pledges to fight for gay rights worldwide CNN Political Ticker
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Arizona School Agrees To Lift Rainbow Ban Following ACLU Demands; Gay Student Now Allowed To Wear Wristband
Quintanilla contacted the ACLU in February after her son Chris’s principal told her he wouldn’t allow her son to wear his cloth wristband with words “Rainbows are gay” to school anymore. Last week, the school finally gave assurances to the ACLU that it would not censor Quintanilla’s wristband in the future.
“Students have a constitutional right to free speech at school, and school officials should be aware of their responsibility for upholding this cornerstone of our freedom,” said Elizabeth Gill, staff attorney for the ACLU national Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project. “This district was right to come to its senses and back down from violating the First Amendment, because students have 40 years of Supreme Court precedent on their side when schools do this kind of thing.”
In its letter, the ACLU reminded PUSD officials about the 1969 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Tinker v. Des Moines in which the Court wrote, “It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights… at the schoolhouse gate.” The letter also pointed to Gillman v. Holmes County School District, a Florida case in which a high school principal had attempted to ban symbols in support of LGBT rights, including rainbows, at school. In that case, a federal judge ruled last May that the school had violated students’ First Amendment rights. Both cases were handled by the ACLU, which celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Tinker decision in February.
“The schools we entrust to teach our children about society and their freedoms should know better than to violate one of our most fundamental freedoms,” said Alessandra Soler Meetze, Executive Director of the ACLU of Arizona. “We’re glad that PUSD has seen the light about this, but we’re going to be keeping an eye on this district and hold them to their word that they’ll respect the First Amendment from now on.”
The letter the ACLU sent to the district last month is available here:
http://www.aclu.org/pdfs/lgbt/schoolsyouth/az_armb_letter.pdf.
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Award-winning journalist Kevin Naff to direct both Genre Magazine and Washington Blade’s editorial vision
NEW YORK — Genre Magazine, a division of Window Media LLC, the nation’s largest gay publishing group, today announced the appointment of veteran LGBT journalist Kevin Naff as Editor-in-Chief of Genre Magazine. He will be responsible for the day-to-day operations and strategic planning for the magazine, while continuing his post as Editor of Washington Blade — the nation’s oldest, largest and most respected gay newspaper — celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2009. The announcement was made today by William Kapfer, Genre Publisher and Window Media Co-President.
Naff joins Genre after more than six years with the Washington Blade, including nearly three as editor, where he has overseen a senior team of editors and reporters responsible for covering some of the country’s most historic political events and its leaders. Naff is an award-winning journalist, columnist and blogger known for his provocative approach to analyzing the news. In addition to recurring guest commentator spots on Sirius/XM satellite radio and National Public Radio (NPR), he has been tapped for national appearances on such shows as Fox News’ “O’Reilly Factor,” CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360″ and CBS’ Logo network.
William Kapfer, Genre Vice President & Publisher and Window Media Co-President, says: “Kevin brings a real passion for LGBT journalism, and an appreciation for the vital role Window Media’s collection of print and digital assets bring to the community. Our readers demand flexibility not just in the content they receive, but also in how that content is delivered. This appointment underscores Genre’s mission to continue to produce the top quality magazine in our category–while continuing to provide readers with easily accessible, fresh, original content across our suite of integrated media channels.”
“I’m excited to join the team at Genre and help build on the magazine’s colorful history,” Naff said. “I look forward to advancing Genre’s mission, while also celebrating this year, the Blade’s 40th year as the nation’s leading LGBT news source.”
Prior to joining the Blade, Naff worked for Reuters as a financial journalist in New York, then spent four years at the Baltimore Sun, launching its web site in 1996. He served as vice president of business development for an online startup and as a private consultant before returning to journalism at the Blade. Naff sits on several boards, including the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association D.C. chapter, Live Baltimore and the Pennsylvania State University gay alumni organization. He lives in Baltimore with his partner of 11 years.* Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
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