Happy Anniversary, Stonewall

Published June 28, 2009 @ 09:42AM PT

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.

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Comments (5)

For those of us who are/were awaiting to see what the DoJ was going to do in the matter of the Gill case (GLAD DOMA Challenge which is the case out of Massachusetts) according to GLAD the DoJ will NOT have to file its brief tomorrow.

http://www.glad.org/current/news-detail/update-glad-will-file-amended-complaint/

Posted by Dave Hershey on 06/28/2009 @ 12:39PM PT
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It's great that the Stonewall Riots are receiving the just coverage the important event deserves. The oppression of the 1960s needed to be crushed by the Stonewall Riots to begin a movement for LGBT equality. The LGBT rights movement will continue in order to fight for the equality the LGBT community needs because if the movement is not powerful enough, intolerance will oppress. The Stonewall Riots is the starter for the movement for LGBT rights.

Posted by Edwin Bonilla on 06/28/2009 @ 03:17PM PT
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And we thought we were moving forward. Did everyone hear about the raid on the Rainbow Lounge in Fort Worth, Texas on the anniversary of Stonewall?

Please read these links.

http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1458523.html

http://dym-sum.com/2009/06/28/no166/

http://www.dallasvoice.com/instant-tea/2009/06/28/youve-gotta-be-shtting-me/

http://www.dallasvoice.com/instant-tea/2009/06/28/an-eye-witness-account-from-the-rainbow-lounge-raid/

Haven't we progressed a great deal.

Later,

Marlin

Posted by Marlin Bynum on 06/28/2009 @ 05:23PM PT
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UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!! Lets see if our Coward.......er......."Fierce Advocate" in Chief has ANYTHING to say about this. I highly doubt it!

We'll have to see if charges can be filed, against the policing agency that perpetrated, under Texas Hate Crimes Laws. That would be AWESOME!!!!!

Posted by Dave Hershey on 06/28/2009 @ 06:13PM PT
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This will sound strange perhaps...But Im glad that the stonewall incident happened.

The reason being that, in my opinion, the homosexual community needed something to galvanise them as a group in order for us to have the progress that we have today.

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 07/03/2009 @ 07:53PM PT
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Michael is the Communications Director for the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School, and previously was Communications Director for Pax Christi USA, a progressive Catholic human rights organization.