Thousands gather at Stonewall 50 years after LGBTQ uprising
Source: AP
NEW YORK — Thousands of people converged Friday on the Stonewall Inn for the 50th anniversary of the rebellion that catalyzed a movement for LGBTQ liberation, marking the milestone with celebrity performances, speeches and personal reflections.
People from New York and afar came to take photos and share in the legacy of the gay bar where patrons resisted a police raid, sparking protests and longer-term organizing that made the cause considerably more visible.
"Fifty years ago, people stood up for their rights, and look where we're at now. We've got flags all over the city," said Richard Walker, 58, an airline worker from New York. "I'm getting goosebumps just really thinking about it."
With the modern incarnation of the Stonewall Inn as the focal point, the day's celebrations included music, speeches and an evening rally. Lady Gaga, Whoopi Goldberg, Alicia Keys, drag performers and other artists at the advocacy organization Pride Live's Stonewall Day Concert addressed a crowd that stretched for blocks on a nearly 90-degree afternoon. -MORE...
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At the rally in front of the Stonewall Inn, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) joined in, "Happy Pride, everybody!" with thousands of cheering people including activists, organizers and politicians. De Blasio called the people who were arrested in 1969 "brave," and they helped set the stage for future rights of LGBTQ persons.
Present also was Emma Gonzalez, a Parkland, FL high school shooting survivor who is a bisexual gun-control advocate. And Barbara Poma, owner of the Pulse gay nightclub in Coral Springs, FL, scene of one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history.
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