Stonewall Spotlight

This month we continue our 2-part series: Trans Lives Matter with special guest Justine Gonzalez, a trans activist, advocate and consultant in Los Angeles. They were also a candidate for School Board in 2019 and sits on the Board of Directors of the Stonewall Democratic Club

Welcome to Stonewall Spotlight Episode 13 and to our our 2-part series: Trans Lives Matter. This month, Marcus sits down with Khloe Perez, Manager for Transgender Programs and services at Bienestar and local Trans Rights Activist who was one of the individuals assaulted at Las Perlas this year. We just observed the Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 23 and a new report from Transrespect Versus Transphobia Worldwide says 331 trans and gender-diverse people were murdered worldwide between October 2018 and September 2019. Brazil had the highest number of these hate crimes with 130 killings reported. Mexico had 63 and the U.S. reported 30. In addition, 3,317 trans and gender-diverse people have been murdered globally since January 2008. These episodes are dedicated to giving a voice to our Trans brothers and sisters. Find out more about the Stonewall Democratic Club at www.stonewalldems.org

In this special edition of Stonewall Spotlight 12, we continue our “Blue Tsunami” topic as we enter into primary season in the 2020 election. We welcome Stonewall Vice President of Community Drexel Heard to talk the Presidential race as well as remarks from freshman Congresswoman Katie Porter. Tune in!

The Democrats have an uphill battle to take back the White House from Donald Trump in 2020, but they have a plan. Like last year’s “Blue Wave”, this year’s "Blue Tsunami" is set to hopefully not only take back the White House, but the Senate as well. In this first episode of our special two-part Blue Tsunami edition of Stonewall Spotlight, we sit down with the Chair of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, Mark Gonzalez as he gives us a sneak peek into what’s to come and what challenges await the Democrats in 2020. We also sit down with Stonewall Democratic Club’s Chair of Endorsements Adam Kroll to get an expert insight on the vast field of Democratic candidates for President and who has what it takes to clench the nomination.

This week we sit down with Phill Wilson, the founder of the Black AIDS Institute and West Hollywood Mayor John D'Amico as we discuss the breakthroughs in AIDS past, present and future on this episode of Stonewall Spotlight.

We have a full episode for you today, packed with perspectives. In honor of the Stonewall Riots anniversary this year, we’re celebrating how far as a community we’ve come over the decades. We’ll hear from Robin Tyler, a true pioneer in the grassroots movement within the Women’s and LGBTQ civil rights flight and a special interview with longtime Stonewall Member, Nadia Sutton.

This year happens to be the 50th Anniversary of the protests at Stonewall that lit the fire for the modern Pride movement, the effects of which are as vital today as they were fifty years ago. Here at Stonewall Spotlight we hope to develop a compassionate understanding of that important time in our LGBTQ history.  Stonewall is part of who we are as a club and we hope to share a little bit about our namesake with you today.

The Stonewall Inn is bar located in Greenwich Village, New York City, and it was the scene of an uprising against police repression that led to a key turning point in the struggle for the civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans. In a pattern of harassment of LGBT establishments, the New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn in the early hours of Saturday, June 28, 1969. The reaction of the bar’s patrons and neighborhood residents that assembled in the street was not typical of these kinds of raids. Instead of dispersing, the crowd became increasingly angry and began chanting and throwing objects as the police arrested the bar's employees and patrons. Reinforcements were called in by the police, and for several hours they tried to clear the streets while the crowd fought back. The initial raid and the riot that ensued led to six days of demonstrations and conflicts with law enforcement outside the bar, in nearby Christopher Park, and along neighboring streets. At its peak, the crowds included several thousand people.

The events of Stonewall, as the uprising is most commonly referred to, marked a major change in the struggle for "homophile rights" in the U.S., with lesbian women, gay men, bisexual and transgender people beginning to vocally and assertively demand their civil rights. Stonewall is regarded by many as the single most important catalyst for the dramatic expansion of the LGBT civil rights movement. The riots inspired LGBT people throughout the country to organize and within two years of Stonewall, LGBT rights groups had been started in nearly every major city in the U.S. Stonewall was, as historian Lillian Faderman wrote, "the shot heard round the world...crucial because it sounded the rally for the movement.”

Today, the site of the uprisings in Greenwich Village is recognized as a National Historic Landmark (NHL) by the National Park Service and is considered significant under Criterion 1 because of its association with events that outstandingly represent the struggle for civil rights in America. The NHL includes the bar, Christopher Park, and the streets where the events of June 28-July 3, 1969, occurred. The Stonewall Inn is located at 51-53 Christopher Street, New York City, New York and is open to the public.

We’re back from our season break, and have lots of new and exciting interviews to share with you on this second season of Stonewall Spotlight starting with an interview with LGBT pioneer Ivy Bottini. Towards the end of last year, Mackenzie had the opportunity to do some extensive traveling and what better way to contribute to a club that has given me so much, then to share the voices of LGBT friends and people that she crossed paths with. We hope this reminds us all of our solidarity within the LGBT community far and wide. Get involved at www.stonewalldems.org