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STONEWALL 50: DON’T FET THE BLACK & BROWN LGBTQ STGGLESTONEWALL 50BLACK QUEER AND TRANSGENR PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS HAD TO REMD THE RT OF THE MUNY OF OUR PROMENCE—SPE THE FACT THAT THE MOVEMENT WAS -LED BY SCE THE BEGNG.ERNT OWENSUPDATED JUN. 01, 2020 10:55AM EDT / PUBLISHED JUN. 07, 2019 11:22PM EDT ON JUNE 28TH, 1969, THE STONEWALL RTS GREENWICH VILLAGE BEME A MAJOR TALYST THE MOVEMENT FOR LGBTQ RIGHTS. TRANSGENR ACTIVISTS MARSHA P. JOHNSON AND SYLVIA RIVERA WERE AMONG THE BOLST AND MOST OUTSPOKEN LEARS WHO STOOD UP AGAST THE ONGOG POLICE BTALY AND HARASSMENT THAT PLAGUED THE NOW LANDMARK GAY BAR FOR MONTHS. THE ACTNS THAT OCCURRED THAT NIGHT AT STONEWALL WEREN’T A PROTT, BUT A RT—VLENT, DISPTIVE, AND PURPOSELY RISTANT. THE LGBTQ MUNY HAD ENOUGH OF THE STATE-SANCTNED DISCRIMATN AND ABE. BLOOD WAS SHED, FIGHTG ENSUED, ARRTS WERE MA—THE POLICE WERE NOT THERE TO PROTECT AND SERVE, BUT TO PERSECUTE AND TORTURE. JOHNSON, WHO WAS CELEBRATG HER 25TH BIRTHDAY THAT NIGHT, WAS THE FIRST TO RIST, FOLLOWED BY RIVERA WHO THREW ONE OF THE FIRST BOTTL AT THE OPPRSIVE POLICE. THE REVOLUTN SENT SHOCKWAV ACROSS THE NATN AS MANY OTHER CI BEGAN TO STAND UP AND FIGHT BACK AGAST LGBTQ EQUALY. FIFTY YEARS LATER, WE OWE OUR CURRENT PROGRS TO THE TWO FEARLS BLACK AND BROWN TRANSGENR WOMEN WHO RISKED THEIR LIV THE FIGHT FOR LGBTQ LIBERATN. TODAY, WE HAVE MARRIAGE EQUALY, A GAY NDIDATE NNG FOR PRINT, MASTREAM MEDIA REPRENTATN, AND CONGRS JT RECENTLY PHG TO PASS THE EQUALY ACT—A LAW THAT WOULD EXTEND CIVIL RIGHTS AND PROTECTNS TO ALL LGBTQ AMERINS NATNWI. ON THURSDAY, NYC POLICE COMMISSNER JAM P. O'NEILL MA AN UNPRECENTED APOLOGY ON BEHALF OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR THE NDUCT OF THE OFFICERS DURG STONEWALL. “THE ACTNS TAKEN BY NYPD WERE WRONG—PLA AND SIMPLE,” O'NEILL SAID DURG A PRI EVENT AT POLICE HEADQUARTERS. HIS REMARKS WERE A LONG OVERDUE APOLOGY FOR A MAJOR GROSS ABE OF POLICE FORCE.DPE THE DIVERSE LEARSHIP IALLY TOOK FOR THE MOVEMENT TO ADVANCE, MANY OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS SCE HAVE BENEFED THE MOST PRIVILEGED WH OUR MUNY: WHE CISGENR GAY MEN. BROWSE THROUGH ANY DISPARY STUDY ON LGBTQ PEOPLE, AND BLACK MEMBERS OF THE MUNY ARE OFTEN H THE HARST. DPE THE PUBLIC AWARENS OF THE SETBACKS, BLACK AND BROWN QUEER PEOPLE NTUE TO BE UNRREPRENTED LGBTQ LEARSHIP, MEDIA, AND VISIBILY. LGBT PNEER SYLVIA RIVERA LEADS AN ACT-UP MARCH PAST NEW YORK'S UNN SQUARE PARK, JUNE 26, 1994.JT SUTCLIFFE/AP AND WHILE MANY HAD HOPED FOR RACIAL HARMONY WH THE LGBTQ MUNY, I’VE LEARNED FIRST-HAND THAT WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO. AS THE FORMER LGBTQ EDOR FOR PHILALPHIA MAGAZE, I’VE SPENT THE PAST THREE YEARS VERG RACIAL DISCRIMATN OUR OWN RABOW FLAG-WAVG BACKYARD. FROM GAY BAR OWNERS SULTG BLACK PATRONS WH RACIAL SLURS, TO WHE-LED LGBTQ NONPROFS BEG PROTTED AGAST BY DIVERSE MUNY MEMBERS, I’VE E TO REGNIZE THAT THE FIGHT FOR DIVERSY AND CLN IS NOT JT HAPPENG OUTSI OF THE LGBTQ MUNY, BUT WH . BUT THIS IS NOTHG NEW. HISTORY HAS ALREADY SHOWN THAT BLACK QUEER AND TRANSGENR PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS HAD TO REMD THE RT OF THE MUNY OF OUR PROMENCE—SPE THE FACT THAT THE MOVEMENT WAS -LED BY SCE THE BEGNG. WHILE MANY PEOPLE RIGHTFULLY PRAISE THE LATE GAY POLIL IN HARVEY MILK, OUR MUNY DON’T GIVE AS MUCH RPECT TO CIVIL RIGHTS LEGEND BAYARD RT. RT, A BLACK GAY ACTIVIST WHO OPENLY EMBRACED BOTH HIS INTI AT A TIME WHEN THEY WERE BEG FERALLY MARGALIZED, TOOK ON SOME TOUGH BATTL. THROUGHOUT THE 1940S UNTIL HIS ATH 1987, RT WAS A STEADFAST REVOLUTNARY WHO WAS TERSECTNAL AND STRATEGIC. HE LED THE EFFORT TO GET THE HISTORIC 1963 MARCH ON WASHGTON OFF THE GROUND AND ADVOTED FOR EQUAL LEGAL PROTECTNS FOR LGBTQ PEOPLE BEFORE WAS POPULAR. “THE ONLY FAL SECURY FOR ALL IS TO PROVI EQUAL PROTECTN FOR EVERY GROUP UNR THE LAW,” RT SAID WHILE TTIFYG BEFORE THE GENERAL WELFARE COMMTEE OF NEW YORK CY COUNCIL 1986.BUT RT WAS ONLY ONE OF SEVERAL BLACK LGBTQ ACTIVISTS WHO WERE AHEAD OF THEIR TIME. THE COMBAHEE RIVER COLLECTIVE STATEMENT, FORMULATED BY A GROUP OF BLACK QUEER WOMEN 1974, WAS A GROUNDBREAKG MANIFTO THAT RHAPED THE WAY WE NOW DISCS FEMISM AND TERSECTNALY.CO-FOUND BY ACCLAIMED BLACK LBIAN ACTIVIST BARBARA SMH, THE COMBAHEE RIVER COLLECTIVE GAVE A VOICE TO BLACK QUEER WOMEN AT A TIME WHEN THEY WERE EXCLUD OM MASTREAM MOVEMENTS. SOME OF THE TERSECTNAL VALU EXPRSED BY THIS TRAILBLAZG GROUP N BE SEEN MANY MOVEMENTS TODAY, SUCH AS THE BLACK LIV MATTER MOVEMENT, WHOSE FOUNDG LEARSHIP CLU BLACK QUEER WOMEN.SUCH ACTIVISM WASN’T JT PROJECTED POLICY AND DIRECT ACTN, BUT THROUGH POP CULTURE. THE LEGENDARY JAM BALDW AND ALICE WALKER WEREN’T THE ONLY BLACK QUEER WRERS WHO SPOKE TTH TO POWER—THE 1986 ANTHOLOGY IN THE LIFE, EDED BY JOSEPH BEAM, ALSO REFED HOW WE SAW OURSELV AS WELL. AT 27 YEARS OLD, NEVER REALLY DAWNED ON ME HOW MUCH BLACK QUEER CULTURE HAS BEEN HIGHLY NSUMED BY SOCIETY AT LARGE UNTIL I WATCHED THE GROUNDBREAKG 1990 DOCUMENTARY PARIS IS BURNG WHICH SPOTLIGHTED THE IMMERSIVE AND EP HISTORY OF NEW YORK CY’S BLACK QUEER BALLROOM DRAG SCENE. WHILE MANY NOW EELY E THE LLOQUIAL PHRAS “THROWG SHA,” “READ YOU FOR FILTH,” AND “SPILL THE TEA,” WAS IMPOVERISHED BLACK QUEER AND TRANSGENR DRAG PERFORMERS WHO ORIGATED THOSE TERMS S AGO WHILE FACG A HIV/AIDS EPIMIC THAT STILL HASN’T GOTTEN BETTER FOR PEOPLE LIKE THEM. FAST-FORWARD TO NOW, AND WE’RE STILL TALKG ABOUT THE BALLROOM SCENE’S IMPACT THROUGH THE NEW H SHOW POSE ON FX THAT CLUS A REMARKABLE AMOUNT OF DIVERSE LGBTQ ACTORS, WRERS, PRODUCERS, AND DIRECTORS. FILMS SUCH AS THE OSR-WNG FILM MOONLIGHT, BOOKS SUCH AS CHARL BLOW’S FIRE SHUT UP IN MY BON, AND THE RISE OF BLACK LGBTQ VOIC OM PUBLIC FIGUR SUCH AS BILLY PORTER, LENA WAHE, ROXANE GAY, JA MOCK, JANELLE MONáE, LAVERNE COX, SHARRON COOKS, RAQUEL WILLIS, TRE’VELL ANRSON, DON LEMON, AND OTHER UNTLS ACTIVISTS AND ENTERTAERS, GIVE ME HOPE. BUT AGA, WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO. RIGHT NOW, LGBTQ PROGRS IS BEG THREATENED UNR THE PRINCY OF DONALD TMP. WE HAVE ALREADY WNSED ONGOG FERAL SETBACKS TO POLICI IMPACTG THE TRANSGENR MUNY AND THOSE LIVG WH HIV. THE UNADDRSED RACIAL PFALLS THAT HAVE UNFAIRLY CRIPPLED BLACK AND BROWN LGBTQ PEOPLE HAVE MA MATTERS WORSE THE VERY SAFE SPAC WE SHOULD BE NSIRG HOME. “AS LONG AS GAY PEOPLE DON’T HAVE THEIR RIGHTS ALL ACROSS AMERI, THERE’S NO REASON FOR CELEBRATN” IT HURTS TO SEE THE LACK OF DIVERSY AND THE ERASURE OF BLACK QUEER AND TRANSGENR REVOLUTNARI DURG PRI MONTH, AND TO SEE PANI THAT STILL LACK OUR VISIBILY THEIR OFFIC TAKE UP SPACE OUR PARAS. PRI WOULDN’T EXIST WHOUT THE WORK OF BLACK AND BROWN LGBTQ ACTIVISTS WHO RISKED THEIR LIV AND REPUTATNS ON BEHALF OF A MUNY THAT HAVEN’T PAID THEIR PROPER RPECTS. AS WE MOVE TO THE NEXT 50 YEARS, LET’S NOT NTUE TO IGNORE AND SILENCE THE ACPLISHMENTS OF BLACK AND BROWN LGBTQ MUNY MEMBERS. GIVE THEM A SEAT AT THE TABLE AND A MIC AT THE PODIUM. PAY THEM EQUY AND ACCS, NOT TOKENIZATN AND EXPLOATN. IT N’T BE A TE PRI CELEBRATN UNTIL WE ARE ALL EE. THIS IS WHAT MARSHA P. JOHNSON WOULD HAVE WANTED BEE SHE ONCE SAID SO HERSELF: “AS LONG AS GAY PEOPLE DON’T HAVE THEIR RIGHTS ALL ACROSS AMERI, THERE’S NO REASON FOR CELEBRATN.”THIS PRI SEASON, ’S TIME TO PUT THE RABOW FLAGS AND CKTAILS DOWN AND PUT OUR FISTS BACK UP. THE REVOLUTN IS STILL NOT OVER; THERE’S PLENTY OF WORK TO BE DONE. ERNT OWENS
About 38% of stunts at the Ivy League school intified as eher homosexual, bisexual, queer, asexual, pansexual, qutng, or other — more than five tim the natnal rate for adults not intifyg as straight. The number of heterosexual stunts went down by 25.2% and homosexual stunts went up by 26% om fall 2010 to sprg 2023. Sce the Herald first nducted a survey of sexual orientatn on mp 2010, Brown stunts intifyg as lbian and gay dropped by more than half om 46 to 22%.
In 2010, stunts were given only heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, and other orientatns to choose om. The Center works to create and mata an open, safe, and clive environment for lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer and qutng stunts, faculty, and staff, their fai and iends, and the mp muny at large.
The origal pri flag was created the 1970s by gay activist Gilbert Baker, iend of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office California. Homosexual intifitn dropped om 46% of LGBTQ+ stunts 2010 to 23% survey began trackg pansexual, asexual, queer, qutng, and other to their list of inti 2020. At Brown, 24% of unrgraduat and 18% of graduate stunts reported that they intified as LGBQ+ (Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer, etc.), and 3% of both graduate & unrgraduate stunts dited that they intified as transgenr or genr nonbary (Brown 2018 Climate Survey).