Perry Brass & the Early Gay Liberation Movements in NYC -- XOTV Weekly
June is a special month for people around the world: it’s LGBTQIA+ pride month! This is not only a celebration of love, but originated as a protest against hate. Jendayi Omowale, our guest writer this week, has transcribed an interview they conducted with Perry Brass, who saved one of the first radical gay publications in New York, was part of the Gay Liberation Front and started the Gay Men’s Health Project Clinic. Brass was present for the Stonewall Inn Riots and spoke eloquently about his experiences. Read part one of the interview below!
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An Interview with Perry Brass
Not too long ago, in 2019, a historic moment happened for the LGBTQ+ community around the world: the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Inn Riots. On June 28th, 1969, a police raid on the Stonewall Inn which was then on Christopher St in Greenwich Village, set off a rebellion by the LGBTQ+ patrons who were tired of facing police brutality because of their identities. Queer people fighting back against the police harassment in the heart of the city became powerful enough to open the floodgates for the gay liberation movement of the 70s.
The uprising, which was led by figures like trans activists of color Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivieria, was the bedrock for the formation of many LGBTQ+ organizations, a key organization being the Gay Liberation Front or GLF, an intersectional political collective that started in New York City before popping up in places like the UK and Canada. GLF was an organization that focused on “human liberation,” as member Perry Brass puts it. It had a broad political platform, supporting anything aligned with civil rights, including anti-capitalism, feminism, and anti-racism…read more.
And lastly, we are partnered with the wonderful Culturs to create this newsletter. Culturs is the home for people who straddle the intersections of Race, Ethnicity, culture, home and more. Find their working definition of LGBTQ+ identities here.