Our America: Pride In History III: Rare footage of the earliest known LGBTQ+ activist group, interview with Stonewall participant
Understanding where we come from and where we have been is an important part of telling the human story. For LGBTQ+ people, these stories are often forgotten due to stigma, fear and shame.
Our America: Pride in History III celebrates the amazing stories of perseverance as the community embarked on a path of greater acceptance. Watch Episode 1 here and Episode 2 here.
In this episode, go to “the oldest gay bar in the United States” and learn about the unsung hero who helped make the March on Washington happen.
Discover a rare film about a pre-Stonewall uprising in New York. And meet the man who lost to San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, who talks about his place in history as one of the “Bay Gays” who helped make San Francisco what it was Today is.
Watch “Our America: Pride in History III” in the video player above.And take a look at the individual stories that make up the special below.
The White Horse Bar celebrates its 90-year LGBTQIA+ heritage
White Horse Bar celebrates its LGBTQ+ heritage.
Founded in 1933, The White Horse Bar in Oakland, California, is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year as the “oldest surviving gay bar in the United States.” The atmosphere is described as an inclusive neighborhood bar. Owner Patty Dingle says, “When you come here, I want people to feel like they’re being embraced with a warm hug.”
Archival film highlights the earliest known “gay liberation” uprising in the United States before Stonewall
Protesters outside Gene Compton’s cafeteria, a month before a riot broke out at the restaurant that spread to the streets of San Francisco’s Tenderloin District in 1966.
KGO TV
Historians say the rare film could document the period before and after a riot in San Francisco that preceded New York’s Stonewall uprising. One summer night in 1966, a group of LGBTQ+ people rioted in Compton’s cafeteria. Historian Susan Stryker’s documentary “Screaming Queens” tells the story of what likely happened that night when a group of transgender and gay men clashed with police and a riot broke out that spilled into the streets.
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The 89-year-old has helped pave the way for LGBTQ+ activism
David Rothenberg is a man who has been a strong and consistent force in the fight for equality in the LGBTQ community. The 89-year-old veteran Broadway producer, radio host and activist was very public in 1973, remarking, “I thought I was absolutely alone in the world.” David attended his first Pride march in 1970 and did so again this year out there.
Stonewall Pioneer reflects on the legacy he wants to leave behind
Stonewall Pioneer reflects on the legacy he wants to leave behind
The infamous Stonewall raid in New York City occurred on June 8, 1969 and was considered by many to be the beginning of the largest public push for gay rights. Mark Segal was in the bar when police attacked patrons. He shares his memories and thoughts about Philly’s LGBTQ+ community.
Gay rights pioneer looks back on Harvey Milk and ‘1976 Bay Gays’
Rick Stokes in an ABC7 interview from 1976 and today. He spoke to us about the groundbreaking interview he conducted more than 40 years ago.
KGO TV
It was groundbreaking for the time. And now, decades later, a man who lost to San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk is speaking out about his place in history as one of the “Bay Gays” who helped make San Francisco what it is today .
Remembering the man who organized the March on Washington
Remembering Bayard Rustin, the local man who organized the March on Washington
The March on Washington, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called more than 200,000 people for work and freedom is a historic event. But many don’t know Bayard Rustin, the man who “was instrumental in making the entire event happen.” He was the force but not the face of the march. Rustin was pushed into the shadows because he was a gay black man.
Documentary describes the fight against HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles
Using first-person interviews, rare archival and activist footage, and scenes from star-studded Hollywood fundraisers, a new documentary presents the story of LA’s HIV/AIDS epidemic. It tells the story of the local response to the AIDS epidemic and how Hollywood mobilized to raise awareness and support the LGBTQ+ community.
A Walk Through Time: “Gay Bars That Are Gone” Tour
From queer loft parties to lesbian tea rooms, New York City’s history is full of LGBTQ+ spaces that have been buried over time. Now that history is being brought to light as part of an annual walking tour that aims to keep the memories of these places alive while uniting the community around them.
ACLU fought for the historic 1970 Pride parade and continues to fight
The world’s first officially sanctioned LGBTQ+ Pride parade took place in Hollywood in 1970 after a tough battle in court. Half a century later, the LGBTQ+ community, the ACLU and the police share a sensitive stage around an LA Pride parade that remains, at its core, a protest.
The community hopes to make the home of an LGBTQ+ pioneer a landmark
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is taking steps to make the home of a Southern California LGBTQ+ pioneer an official landmark. Community members say that when Morris Kight lived in his Westlake home in the late ’60s and early ’70s, it became a safe haven for members of their community. At a recent protest, a local activist said, “Save Morris Kight’s house. LGBTQ+ history was founded in this house.”