Monday, June 13, 2011

JUNE - STONEWALL - GAY PRIDE

As a homosexual person are you a bit more aware of your history as a gay man or woman?  Tonight I happened on a PBS TV series I think is called The American Experience . Tonight's dealt with our history here leading up to June 1969 and Stonewall. . .the result being GAY PRIDE. . . WoW! They were gutsy people, led by the Drag Queens to stop the police brutality in dealing with our people.  Well worth a couple hours watching. . . . .compared with what they suffered and endured, today we have it made! . . .as an example the vid I posted earlier of Neil Patrick Harris' opening of the Tony Awards. . . .and the whole atmophere in that theatre. . .the cheering, applause. . .you could feel it, just watching.  ;-)
PBS.org/StonewallRising. . check the menu and schedule.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

It's always a good idea to look back at history and see where we are coming from. In a day when we get what we want, when we want it, we should remember that we have come a long way. As with everything, it takes time.

I'm happy to do my part in the time that I'm given to make things better for the future.

Gary Kelly said...

I dunno about being gay, but I do remember as a kid a place called Carrs Park which was the nearest beach to our house in Sydney's southwestern burbs. My dad would drive us there after a hot day. One time I climbed a tree that overlooked the roofless girl's dressing shed, and I saw boobs and pubes. And I remember thinking, "is that all there is?"

JustinO'Shea said...

Precocious kid!!!

JustinO'Shea said...

Oh? Really? Explain it to O'Shea?
Why? What's to explain? Simple. You met him at that 'mumble' class reunion, you re-connected and then hastened to make up for lost time. . and came away greatly pleased with yourself. . .and with HIM, especially. . .

OR. .second scenario. . you were re-introduced and, to your amazement, you found that time had not been kind and that with his rapidly balding head and very evident beer paunch there was just nothing left of that old pizzzazzzzz
or whatever one may call it. . . .
fascination and desire? hahahaaa

And with a sigh of relief you continued on your merry way. . . still a free man. . .

Of course one could create a number of novella with this thread. lol

justin

JustinO'Shea said...

Lack of age? I assume you have lived beyond the birth experience. . .hehe. . .so you DO have a "memory lane". . . in fact a rather colorful one. . . with a number of detours and back tracks. . . ;-))

GreginAdelaide said...

Geez Coop, you ARE old! Older than O'Shea, but then, isn't everyone? (Me, ducking and weaving)

As for memory, I have no idea when I became aware of being different.
When I was somewhere younger than 12 I was having encounters with the kid across the road. We fiddled and fumbled and both had a good time. Somehow we knew to keep it quiet, just between us. I've no idea how. I was the older one, between 1 and 2 years.
Can't say I was the instigator andcan't say he was...no memory of that. But it was fun.
Small country town. Didn't hook up with anyone else until I'd moved to the big smoke...by then I was about 13-14....and by then, being in high school, I'd learnt that it was something that was not mainstream and not something you broadcast.
I have no memory of any "out" gays....or otherwise, when I was in school. Anyone who was certainly hid it well.
Even thinking back on those years, I certainly do not, even with hindsight, recall anyone even suspiciously gay.
It wasn't until I was out in the big world (not "out", just out...not in school anymore...haha)..it was not until then I encountered anyone who was gay again.
No idea why I didn't ... it certainly wasn't that I was in denial, or not looking. Maybe I was still innocently blind?
Maybe there was no-one around in my circle, in my time, that was game to be recognised as gay. I don't think we were a particularly homophobic society back then. I just think that I was unlucky...that there were few others like me and if there were, they certainly did not want to be recognised as such.

It would be very interesting to grow up ...ie be young and growing up, now, in this day and age. I reckon I'd possibly be more comfortable with society's view of gay people these days, gays are not invisible any more, not like they were when I was young. (I'm SURE I would have noticed them, woudn't I?) ....lol.
Sorry for my rambling thoughts, I hope it makes some sense...what, I'm not sure....heehee.

JustinO'Shea said...

You make eminent sense. .. ;-)