Pride

We are proud to be a
community!

Pride, Celebrating Diversity and Community, by Robin Stevenson (Orca Books) is geared to middle readers (8-12). I would suppose it would be perfect for a teen who is becoming aware of LGBT relatives or even teens who becoming aware that they are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. I would be remiss in my review if I didn’t note that I, who was seven when the Stonewall Riots happened, actually learned something from this book.

No fooling. It wasn’t something that happened in the last year or two that had slipped my attention, but the origins of gay-straight alliances, which Stevenson notes started at George Washington High School in New York City in 1972. She further cites a 1976 pamphlet from the Youth Liberation Front (her research and scope is impeccable) which exhorted gay teens to come out, a message that still needs to be heard today by people who have left their high school days behind.

---

You can follow my blog on Twitter (@impofthediverse) or on Facebook. If you like this post, share it with your friends. If you have a comment just for me, e-mail me at impofthediverse@gmail.com.

---

This blog runs solely on ego! Follow this blog! Comment on this post! Let me know that you want to read more of it!

A Scout Is ... Mindful of Civl Rights

Is there a merit badge for equality?

I never thought I'd see this.

I opened up the New York Times this morning over breakfast and was surprised to see that a group of Boy Scouts had marched in New York's Pride parade (now I'm ever more bummed out that I missed it). I know that I would have been cheering loudly had I been there, since I was a Boy Scout when I was in my teens.

In the late 70s, gay scouts were simply unthinkable. I don't think there were any fifteen-year olds in America who were willing to be out to their peers. Of course, this was the era of Aaron Fricke, who gained some fame by attempting to bring a male date to his prom in 1980. I'm the same age as Fricke, and was fascinated by the news stories at the time. But Fricke was a rarity in those days. (And his home town was three times the size of mine.)

---

You can follow my blog on Twitter (@impofthediverse) or on Facebook. If you like this post, share it with your friends. If you have a comment just for me, e-mail me at impofthediverse@gmail.com.

---

This blog runs solely on ego! Follow this blog! Comment on this post! Let me know that you want to read more of it!

"The Kids These Days Don't Know Their History"

Kissing at the Stonewall Inn as
Pride Weekend began

Friday night, after dinner and socializing with some friends, James and I decided to walk to the Christopher Street area of Greenwich Village. Short walk from where we are. Although the portion we’re in is still, technically, Greenwich Village, we were walking to the are that people mean when they say “the Village.” (Me, I always think of The Prisoner.)

The Village was mobbed. There was a huge line of people waiting to get into The Monster, which, according to their web site, has been active since 1970. The nearby Stonewall Inn can’t claim the same degree of continuity, as the original Stonewall Inn closed in 1969, with several businesses in the space until the current Stonewall Inn. On the other hand, this was were the raid happened that sparked the Stonewall Riots, June 28, 1969.

In the early moments of June 28, we were in front of the Stonewall Inn. As we neared Christopher Street, I said to James, “is this the weekend when we get to beat up a cop at the Stonewall? That’s the tradition, right?” It was a peaceful crowd though.

---

You can follow my blog on Twitter (@impofthediverse) or on Facebook. If you like this post, share it with your friends. If you have a comment just for me, e-mail me at impofthediverse@gmail.com.

---

This blog runs solely on ego! Follow this blog! Comment on this post! Let me know that you want to read more of it!