LGBT History

Gothamist reports: The Trump administration removed references to transgender and queer people from an official webpage for the Stonewall National Monument in Greenwich Village, drawing widespread recrimination from lawmakers and New York’s influential queer community. Hundreds of people swarmed the monument Friday, carrying LGBTQ+ Pride flags, along with signs reading “there’s no Stonewall without the T” and similar messages opposing …

CBS News reports: Protesters are expected at the Stonewall National Monument Friday after references to trans and queer people were removed from the National Park Service website. The protest will take place outside the monument where the LGBTQ+ rights movement was born decades ago. Trans flags are still  flying at Christopher Park near the Stonewall Inn, and after hearing from …

From the National Park Service’s newly updated entry about New York City’s Stonewall Monument: Before the 1960s, almost everything about living openly as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer (LGB) person was illegal. The Stonewall Uprising on June 28, 1969 is a milestone in the quest for LGB civil rights and provided momentum for a movement. Located in Greenwich Village, …

A Baptist site called The Biblical Reporter has published a lengthy lionizing of the life of recently dead Anita Bryant with a headline which crows that she “foretold the battle against the LGBTQ agenda.” The piece closes with this: Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, recalled on The Briefing podcast Jan. 13 that he heard Bryant sing in …

Via press release from Boulder County, Colorado: The historic Boulder County Courthouse has been designated a National Historic Landmark, recognizing its pivotal role in advancing LGBTQ+ rights in the United States. The courthouse became a beacon of equality and justice in 1975 when Boulder County Clerk Clela Rorex issued the first same-sex marriage license in the nation. On March 26, …

ABOVE: At the 1985 Xmas party described below: Me, Michael, and Barney. Originally posted May 2004. Reposted for World AIDS Day. Membership Michael didn’t look good. We were at his annual Christmas luau party. Tons and tons of people in the house and the backyard. Standing in his kitchen, wearing a grass skirt and a ridiculous Santa hat covered in …

ABC News reports: President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will mark World AIDS Day on Sunday by debuting the AIDS Memorial Quilt at the White House. It will be displayed on the South Lawn as the Bidens commemorate the day with survivors, their families and advocates. The White House said in statement that the Biden administration has made …

The Associated Press reports: Former U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson, who served two Republican presidents as one of the country’s best known conservative lawyers and successfully argued on behalf of same-sex marriage, died Wednesday. He was 84. The law firm Gibson Dunn, where Olson practiced since 1965, announced his death on its website. No cause of death was given. One …

“Our democracy doesn’t require us to agree on everything. That’s not the American way. Just the opposite. We don’t shy away from robust debate. We like a good debate. And the fact that someone disagrees with us, does not make them ‘the enemy from within.’ “Those who came before us—the patriots at Normandy and Selma. Seneca Falls and Stonewall…they did …

Gentle readers, I’m rerunning my annual Pride rant for the twentieth year. I wrote this post in 2005 a couple of days after attending Pride in NYC. In the following years I’ve reposted it in advance of the NYC Pride March. If you’re in town, I encourage you to attend. Love each other. Watching The Defectives Last Sunday at 12:30pm, …

New York City’s NBC affiliate reports: President Joe Biden traveled to New York City on Friday where he visited the Stonewall Inn to mark the 55th anniversary of the riots. Biden, along with the first lady, visited for the opening day of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center, where music and plenty of hope was on full display. The president …

“On June 28, 1969, members of the LGBTQ+ community made history by standing up and fighting back – demanding their rights at the Stonewall Inn. Joined by friends, neighbors, and allies, the bravery of these individuals sparked the ongoing LGBTQ+ rights movement. “It exemplified their persistence in fighting for a nation where everyone can be their most authentic selves, where …

The New York Times reports: Diana Rodriguez, the chief executive of Pride Live, which runs the new Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center, pointed to an old-fashioned jukebox. “Go ahead, give it a whirl,” she said. I dropped in a Stonewall-branded coin and chose a song. The machine whirred, for five seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, as Rodriguez explained that it …

The New York Post reports: President Biden will join pop star Elton John at the Stonewall Inn Friday to mark the 55th anniversary of the first night of riots that helped launch the modern gay rights movement — before hitting up the Hammerstein Ballroom for a big-money fundraiser, The Post has learned. The White House had teased that Biden, 81, …

Gentle readers, on today’s eighth anniversary of the Pulse massacre, I’m rerunning my account of that day. The story below originally ran on Pride Life’s website on July 12th 2016 and makes its fourth appearance on JMG today. Their Phones Kept Ringing One month ago today, Sunday June 12th, around 8AM, I began my day, as usual, by examining my …

From the New York City real estate site 6sqft: The Christopher Street-Sheridan Square subway station in Greenwich Village will be renamed in honor of the Stonewall National Monument. A bill sponsored by Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assembly Member Deborah Glick passed the New York State Senate on Wednesday, directing the MTA to rename the station to “Christopher Street-Stonewall National Monument …

Hoodline reports: The big rainbow flag that flies over Harvey Milk Plaza in the Castro may soon become a landmark. On Tuesday, District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman introduced a resolution initiating landmark designation for the flag and flagpole. The resolution officially titles the flag as “Gilbert Baker’s Rainbow Flag installation at Harvey Milk Plaza.” Gilbert Baker created the rainbow flag …

The Birmingham News reports: History in Alabama is under attack again. A handful of state lawmakers are on a mission to erase it, to cancel those who would mention it and punish those who would protect it. No less than a revered state institution is on the line — the Alabama Department of Archives and History — and the stories …

ABOVE: At the 1985 Xmas party described below: Me, Michael, and Barney. Originally posted May 2004. Reposted for World AIDS Day. Membership Michael didn’t look good. We were at his annual Christmas luau party. Tons and tons of people in the house and the backyard. Standing in his kitchen, wearing a grass skirt and a ridiculous Santa hat covered in …

Orlando’s NBC affiliate reports: Pulse nightclub, where 49 people were killed in 2016, has been sold. WESH 2 has confirmed with multiple sources that the city of Orlando is purchasing the property from owners Barbara and Rosario Poma and Mike Panaggio. The deal was struck about two weeks ago and will go before the Orlando City Council on Monday for …