NEW YORK, NY — Tuesday, June 23, 2020 — The Stonewall 50 Consortium, Making Gay History, NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project, New York Public Library, GLSEN, National Parks Conservation Association, and the ONE Archives Foundation announce the release of "Marching for Pride: The Basics," a new FAQ-style primer on the first-ever NYC Pride March, which marks its 50th anniversary this coming Sunday, June 28. ( "Marching for Pride" is a companion piece to the fact sheet produced last year for the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, "Stonewall: The Basics." )
"Marching for Pride: The Basics," which is co-produced by leaders in LGBTQ history documentation, interpretation, education, and outreach is an easy-to-understand guide to the people, circumstances, and legacy of the first Christopher Street Liberation Day March, which took place on June 28, 1970—the one-year anniversary of the history-making Stonewall uprising of June 28, 1969.
"Most people know almost nothing about the history of the annual Pride march and celebrations held in New York City and cities around the world," said Eric Marcus, founder and host of the Making Gay History podcast and chair of the Stonewall 50 Consortium. "As we prepared the fact sheet, even I was surprised by how little I knew—and I wrote a history book about the LGBTQ civil rights movement."
Eric added, "'Marching for Pride: The Basics' clarifies the historical record, which was muddied by a recent New York Times article that failed to credit the four people who came up with the idea for the march and made it happen. Because of their foresight, Stonewall's legacy is now celebrated each year with worldwide commemorations that have helped shape the trajectory of what's become an international fight against discrimination and for equal rights."
"Marching for Pride: The Basics" provides answers to fundamental questions such as:
Where was the first Pride march held? ( Hint: It wasn't New York City. )
How did New York City's first Pride march come about?
Why was the march called the Christopher Street Liberation Day March rather than the Stonewall Anniversary March?
Who marched in the first NYC Pride march?
"We can't talk about the legacy of Pride and the Christopher Street Liberation Day March without talking about Craig Rodwell," said Amanda Davis, manager of the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project. "Craig, like the larger queer community, felt everything change after the Stonewall uprising on June 28, 1969. Conservative, orderly protest no longer appealed to the new guard of young activists of which he was a part. They wanted 'to be more relevant, reach a greater number of people, and encompass the ideas and ideals of the larger struggle in which we are engaged—that of our fundamental human rights.' Craig, along with his partner Fred Sargeant and fellow activists Ellen Broidyand Linda Rhodes, are names we should all know and honor each June, but they rarely receive their due. We're eager, with this fact sheet, to further educate the LGBTQ community and our allies."
"Marching for Pride: The Basics" is available online now as a download-ready PDF through the Stonewall 50 Consortium's website:
Preview "Marching for Pride: The Basics" at stonewall50consortium.org/pridemarchfactsheet.pdf .
Revisit the companion "Stonewall: The Basics" factsheet at stonewall50consortium.org/stonewallfactsheet.pdf .
The co-creators of "Marching for Pride: The Basics" encourage the public to revisit the self-guided walking tour map from the National Parks Conservation Association and the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project. Launched in 2017 as the first walking tour dedicated to telling the history of the 1969 Stonewall uprising and the fight for LGBTQ rights, the tour connects the public with nearly 20 historic sites significant to the LGBTQ community, anchored by the Stonewall National Monument in New York's Greenwich Village.
Download the self-guided walking tour map at www.npca.org/resources/3214-lgbtq-history-tour-greenwich-village-new-york-ny .
About the Co-Creators
NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project
The NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project is a nonprofit cultural initiative and educational resource that is making an invisible history visible by documenting historic and cultural sites associated with the LGBTQ community throughout New York City. For more, visit www.nyclgbtsites.org, or follow on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
Making Gay History
Making Gay History is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing the largely hidden history of the LGBTQ civil rights movement to life through the voices of the people who lived it—principally through the award-winning Making Gay History podcast and LGBTQ-inclusive educational materials. For more, visit www.makinggayhistory.org, or follow on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With 92 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming, and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library serves more than 18 million patrons who come through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at www.nypl.org . Learn more at www.nypl.org/help/about-nypl .
GLSEN
GLSEN works to create safe and inclusive schools for all. They envision a world in which every child learns to respect and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression. Each year, GLSEN programs and resources reach millions of students and educators in K-12 schools, via action at the national, state, and local level. Over nearly three decades of work, GLSEN has improved conditions for LGBTQ students across the United States and launched an international movement to address LGBTQ issues in education and promote respect for all in schools. Find more information on GLSEN's policy advocacy, student leadership initiatives, school-based programs, research, and professional development for educators at www.glsen.org .
National Parks Conservation Association ( NPCA )
Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.3 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation's natural, historic, and cultural heritage for future generations. NPCA led the campaign for the Stonewall National Monument. For more information, visit www.npca.org .
ONE Archives Foundation
ONE Archives Foundation, Inc., is an independent community partner supporting the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives at the University of Southern California ( USC ) Libraries, the largest repository of LGBTQ materials in the world. The ONE Archives Foundation, Inc. collects, preserves, and protects LGBTQ history, art, and culture in collaboration with ONE Archives at the USC Libraries. To provide access to the ONE collection, the foundation presents and supports projects, programs, exhibitions, and education to share the LGBTQ experience with diverse communities worldwide. For more information, visit www.onearchives.org .
Stonewall 50 Consortium
The Stonewall 50 Consortium is an organization that brings together 240 nonprofit institutions and organizations committed to producing programming, exhibitions, and educational materials related to LGBTQ history and culture.. The mission of the consortium includes helping participating institutions and organizations share ideas and best practices, facilitate potential collaborations, coordinate outreach efforts, and avoid scheduling conflicts and duplication of programming. For more information, visit www.stonewall50consortium.org .
—From a press release
