It Started at Stonewall

Judith E. Beckett

I've just gotten back from New York City
and a steering committee meeting for
Stonewall/25. While I was there, I grabbed
a cab for Carnegie Hall and arrived just in
time for the second half of the New York
City Gay Men's Chorus concert with Holly
Near and the Flirtations.

Near was on stage talking up
Stonewall/25. She reminded us that the
Stonewall Rebellion we will be
commemmorating in New York City this
year began on the same day as Judy
Garland's funeral, June 27, 1969. Long
lines of mourners had waited in the
sweltering heat of New York City all that
day to pay their last respects to the star.
Emotions were high and the moon was full
that night. Perhaps because of Garland's
funeral, there were more people than usual
in Sheridan Square and in the Stonewall
Inn on Christopher Street. In any event,
when the six officers from NYC's Tactical
Police Force arrived for a "routine" raid on
the unlicensed bar, they didn't expect any
resistance. They imposed the usual fines
on the management, harrassed and
humiliated as many of the mainly
African-American and Latino
working—c1ass patrons as they could before
they slipped out the exits, and arrested a
few drag queens and kings*. One by one
they led the patrons out of the bar to the
paddy wagon. Drag queens struck
extravagant poses and blew kisses to the
crowd. Then suddenly, a figure appeared
in the doorway struggling with the two
cops restraining her. The crowd erupted
into violent protest. Rocks were thrown.
The police retreated back into the bar to
wait for reinforcements. Someone tore a
parking meter out of the cement and
barricaded the door with it. Then they tried
to set the bar on fire with the police inside.
A fire was started in the street as more and
more people arrived to join the
insurrection.

The Stonewall Rebellion lasted for three
days. A few days later, the nation's first
Gay Power rally was organized in
Washington Square, followed by a
candlelight march to the Stonewall Inn.
Five hundred people chanted "Gay
Power!" for the first time in history. That
was the beginning of the Gay Liberation

Movement. At Camegie Hall, Holly Near
looked out over the packed audience of
lesbians and gay men and their supporters
and imagined with us what New York
City will be like this summer when
hundreds of thousands of gays and
lesbians arrive in the city to celebrate this
history and join The International March
on the United Nations to Affirm the
Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Drag and Transgender People.

Then she sang Somewhere Over the
Rainbow. For us. About our rainbow, the
symbol of the grat diversity and
inclusiveness of our community. About
the March on the United Nations which
will demand a place in the world for all of
us. “Somewhere there's a place for us...”

I'm hoping you'll join us in New York in
June for the March, Candlelight Event and
Rally in Central Park. The Tri-State
Alliance (Maine, Vermont, and New
Hampshire) is working on establishing “a
(safe) place for us” in the city (a
Hospitality Space where we can meet, get
information, leave messages and rest). We
are reserving an AMTRAK car for
Vermonters and hope to get a bus or two
going also. Maps of the city and the
transportation system will be available.
Volunteers will meet buses and trains
coming into the city to make sure
everyone gets to the March and rally
safely. Some members of our own
Vermont Pride Committee will be
marshalls at the March. In fact,
experienced Pride Committee members
from all over the counu'y will be handling
that assigmnent. Please keep an eye out
for our logo announcing Stonewall/25
sponsored events. And if you'd like to go
to New York or want to help with the
planning and fund-raising, please call me
at (802)439-6453.

*Drag King: a woman who dresses as and
may pass as a man. Read Leslie
Feinberg’s book Stone Butch Blues
(Firebrand Books) to learn about the
rapes, emotional assaults and physical
brutality inflicted on lesbians and gays by
police in similar “routine” raids on gay
bars in Buffalo, New York in the 60's and
70's. V

May 1994

Human Rights
Commission

In February, the State Human Rights
Commission heard two cases alleging
discrimination based on sexual
orientation. One of the cases has been
held for further investigation.

The charging party alleged that an
owner of a bed and breakfast denied him
a room because of his sexual
orientation. The owner has denied the
charge, saying that she refused to rent
the room because she believed that there
were no vacancies.

The commission found (3-4) reason to
believe that there were reasonable
grounds to think discrimination had
occurred and requested further
investigation of the matter. V

reative Design,

13": 81' PAUL 81‘