Straight talk on Stonewall

Continued from front page

nority ones. It wasn't la crème de la crème that finally decided that enough is enough. It was what people considered the trash.

Afterwards I saw a lot of the people in the gay white community start getting involved. The starters were not white. Very few . . . There was this boy named Darryl, as a matter of fact when I went to the [April 1993] March on Washington I ran into him. And I said, "Honey, you still around?" And he goes, "You too?” We talked about people we remembered, about Stonewall, and we laughed and we looked at all these gay men and women at the march and said "Can you imagine? These people don't know what we did, we went through, we saw. They're just having a big fabulous party in Washington,

D.C."

I don't consider myself a hero, but there were a lot of heros and heroines in Stonewall, they have been forgotten about... there is more to gay liberation than just having a pride march. We did accomplish a lot in the few years following that, especially in New York; we became very happy with what we accomplished and that was the end of that, so we let our guard down big time. Then when AIDS came

we really were up shit

creek.

I hope I have good health, because it's deteriorating fast, I hope

had to give your] name, address, phone number, they asked you who was your employer. Employers were called, people were fired from their jobs, but they still didn't give up. A job is just a job. Your dignity is more important. To have dignity and have pride in yourself as a human being is more important than a job. Your dignity is something you carry with you for the rest of your life...

I'm going to Stonewall 25 for two reasons: to see my old friends who are still alive and they're still fighting-and to celebrate the diversity in our groups back then and how much we cared about each other and how much we really loved each other...

I don't know if you know about this but there were two parades one year. The women were marching one way and the men were marching another way. The lineup used to be-because the drag queens were the ones to throw the very first rock-they were given the place of honor at the beginning. Then it was lesbians, gay men, the “minorities" and that was the lineup. Then a lot of gay women moved [to New York] from other places and said, "Oh, you're treating

'Men who are 35 years old, live at home and think that mommy and daddy don't know they're queer? Trying to spare them the pain of knowing that their son is a homosexual? To me that means that Stonewall was a failure.'

that when I go in June and see a few of the leftover Stonewallers-because we do keep in touch with each other— that we can feel real proud that day, that we were there and we did something and had something to say. And I hope that a lot of people remember all those who were there who are dead now and try to do something.

When I read Martin Duberman's book, Stonewall, it was wonderful seeing the history but what upset me is I'm reading the same arguments today: "We all need to assimilate❞ or "We need to be radical." And then women being ignored by men, white women ignoring the black womenwe haven't learned anything.

We haven't. Stonewall, the bar per se, was the weirdest place to be. There were white people, black people, Hispanics of every sort, there was everything. There were white lesbians, black lesbians, butch ones, feminine ones. And everybody got along with everybody. When I came in I was the new kid in town and I was received by [drag queen] Sylvia. They welcomed me. They made me feel at home.

At the same time I was coming to grips with the fact that I was a gay man, I was also [realizing] that I was a Hispanic in a white society. I was going to be very proud of who I was as a Hispanic, and as a gay man. I learned that from them. I wish there were more places like that where people came to have a drink or flirt or cruise but they also came together as a group of people, overlooking everything that society doesn't want you to overlook. That's why I think we haven't accomplished anything . . .

I've had people in the HIV community tell me to keep quiet. I don't think so. That's not what I learned. That's not what I'm all about. I am a proud gay man who happens to have AIDS...

People in our own community staying in closets, being quiet about it-men who are 35 years old, live at home and think that mommy and daddy don't know that they're queer? Trying to spare mommy and daddy the pain of knowing that their son is a homosexual? To me that means that Stonewall was a failure...

When you got arrested at Stonewall, [you

us second class."

But these were people who were not [part of Stonewall]. So I went with my friends from STAR which was the [support group for] transvestites, they fought at Stonewall. We went one way and these women were going another way. This only happened once, thank God. I remember the first "gay pride"

march with 100, maybe 120 people, and it was the first time that I held somebody's hand. We walked up Christopher Street to the Washington Square Park band shell, that's where we had our big thing. You could see the diversity of people, everybody hugging and kissing...

I've been to every pride march in New York City, I have not missed one, okay? I've been there every year and I'm gonna be there this year. I told a friend, even if I'm in a wheelchair you drag me, you make sure that I'm there. Cause I am very proud of being a gay man . . .

When I go to New York I always pass by [the Stonewall site] and stand and bow my head. I have my own little moment of silence. It's kind of funny because I can close my eyes and see everything. I can see the faces of these policemen. It's very interesting, one of the cops that was there later on became my boss (laughs)... he was a captain at that time, directing [cops] to hit with their batons and everything... [In 1972, this] straight mister macho man Italian said, "We were scared of you guys, we really were scared of you, because you guys had lost it." And it was, there was no fear in anybody. We have to get over the fear we have now...

I don't mean we're lame just here in Cleveland, but in New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, it's happening all over . . . In Cuba we have these little crabs that only come out at a certain time of the day. The rest of the time they're hidden. And that's what the gay community reminds me of in this nation. You come out on June 26, "I'm gay, I'm proud, I wear my lipstick, I'm fabulous, I'm a big girl, I'm a homosexual." And then the rest of the time you hide. Is there something really wrong here?

Let's put our priorities first. Let's be proud first you have to be proud of yourself as a human being and as a gay person— and then start fighting. What I mean by fighting is there's things you can do within the system...

We should remember Stonewall every day.

JUNE 24, 1994 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Grand Opening on Wednesday June 29th

Two of New York's Funniest Gay Comics

Bill Graber & Emmy Gay Doors open at 8pm • Show starts at 9pm After the Show, Dancing 'til 2am!

U4ia

10630 Berea Road Cleveland 216/631-7111

Comedy With an Attitude!

mythyth auth Safer Sex Mythology Series No 1

"I'm a lesbian, so I'm not at risk for HIV or AIDS."

fact:

"The reality is that lesbians CAN and DO transmit HIV and other STD's. We need to learn to take care of our bodies and protect each other. For more information, call Health Issues Taskforce at 621-0766 and talk with Jan Cline, Gay Education Coordinator."

WE GOT YOU COVERED!

Health Issues Task Force 2250 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohin 44115 (216) 621 0766 Safer Sex Mythology Series Funded by AMFAR & CAPP