Today marks the 40th anniversary of Stonewall.Somewhere in New York City in the middle of the march commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots...
...Dear Lord, that 15 years ago! Fifteen years. And yet, I've only aged 2 and a half years. Interesting... interesting...
...I saw a sign with a picture of Judy Garland the simply said...
"Death of a Legend, Birth of a Movement."
And while some people say that there is no connection to the beginning of the gay civil rights movement and the death a few days earlier of one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th (or any) century, I think Garland's death changed something.
That may sound queer, but you know it? It is. And I am. And I adore this woman. And I imagine, so did the drag queens and bull dykes who rioted against police 40 years ago today.
And don't forget that it WAS drag queens and bull dykes. They were the ones to take a stand. They are the ones to thank for all that we have achieved. Remember that when someone makes a comment about how topless bull dykes or overly-bedazzled drag queens send the wrong message to the straight people who watch our parade.
Drag queens and bull dykes shouldn't be criticized, they should be celebrated. They're more than just a part of us, they are the reason we're here.
Happy Pride, everyone!
8 comments:
Amen.
Happy Pride, Stephen!
I absolutely love and adore Judy Garland. When one of her movies comes on TMC, there I am, glued to the set.
some of the most beautiful people I have ever met were "drag queens". And maybe ALL of us should fight this fight...
The reason they were all at the Stonewall that night was to mourn Judy's passing.
Sadly, today's gay youth say "Judy Who?" when you bring up her name.
I went to the parade for about a half hour today...I wasn't organized enough to connect/email with anyone to find out where they'd be and watch with them (plus, I guess I'm just getting too old and disenfranchised to really feel part of any group anymore!) so this morning , I just kind of moseyed down and watched for a while, then went back home.
But I was glad I did at least that...it's a step back anyway...
Happy Pride Stephen!!
Emotions were high after Garland's funeral that day. I think there could certainly be a link there. It's like not even being allowed to mourn. Total disrepect. Last Straw.
You know I think I've always been latent in my Judy love...used to wonder "what's the big deal?
It's as I've gotten older and older that I've begun to what the fuss is about.
Love your blog, by the way!
I'll confess to being a bit embarrassed by the effeminate and bawdy behavior of some people at Pride Parades and the like, but what you say makes a lot of sense: only those with the guts to be so in-your-face would have stood up to the Establishment the way they did.
Happy Pride, Stephen!!
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