Friday, June 21, 2019

GAY LIBERATION FRONT and WORLD PRIDE NYC 2019 Update

A statement from Jim Fouratt founding member of the original Gay Liberation Group

I want to thank all the individuals who marched with the GAY LIBERATION FRONT the last 5 years in NYC  in the annual Freedom and Liberation Marches (aka PRIDE). We have been intergenerational including some original members and others who agreed with our multi-issue politics: multi-issue, feminist, gender expression inclusive and respectful of our communities' diversity in race, gender age, and gender expression.   I loved our Samba band that Richard Dworkin brought to march with us, Its members were inclusive of  gay, lesbian, trans etc, and allies.

You showed that GLF knew that fun and culture,are essential in building a new world of genuine equality. thank you.

I also want to thank all members of GLF chapters we helped to organize across America and around the world. in that first year. You are alive in my memory. You carried the message forward of GLF politics for many years after the original founding chapter GLF/NYC group disbursed into communities around the country with the spirit of radical  multi-issue, feminist based politics to change the world and make it safe for all oppressed people

I am sad to report that we do not yet have a place in the World Pride March. A small group of the original GLF/NYC members from around the country,  some of whom march with us once or twice went to Heritage of Pride without talking to us and declared themselves representative of GLF. They asked to be considered as Grand Marshalls.

World Pride and HOP has announced the the original founding chapter of GLF/NYC is one of the 5 Grand Marshalls. I have been invited as an individual and informed by the organizing group that participation is limited to only the original GLF/NYC members.

They are comrades even if they were insensitive to us.  They consider considered GLF ended in 1972, Yes NYC did disburse in 1972. Some of us have a different understanding of about GLF. It has remained alive in practice and principal for us and continued thriving around the world  post 1972.

For years after in chapters in San Francisco,  Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, Boston, Philadelphia etc as well as Paris, London Berlin etc up until the 80's GLF was alive and active. More than 70 Chapters emerged in that first year, Many on College Campuses that we helped organize.

 I know that I and other GLFers have carried the principles of multi-issue politics and feminism into the work we did after 1972. For me I carried then into Gay Activist Alliance when it replaced GLF in NYC. I carried them with me when forning WIPE OUT AIDS/HEAL in 1981, I carried them into the founding meeting of ACT UP in 1987; The building of the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center in NYC and when we formed an LGBT caucus in Occupy Wall Street etc

GLF principles of multi-issues and feminism are what I brought into my political life since GLF was formed in 1069.

I have began carrying a GLF banner in marches and demos over the last few years.  I did this because I think our radical multi-issue politics that included other people's struggles is needed now more than ever,as we built unity to take our country  back.  We also ned to teach younger people of how this post-Stonewall movement was instigated.

I  have not given up on asking for a contingent open to all members of the GLF from anywhere that had an authentic chapter who may be here for WORLD PRIDE to join us if we are allowed  to march as a group as we have in years past,  And the Samba band will be invited to participate if we are granted space,

But to be honest today,  i am not too hopeful. Last week I called WORLD PRIDE office and spoke with their pr person.  I asked her to direct me to the person responsible for editorial control of the online content being put up on the WORLD PRIDE website .  I called to offer some factual corrections to a post they had just made. It was called  HIDDEN FIGURES: THE WOMEN OF STONEWALL

I was surprised to see that three of the people chosen were self-identified as transwomen,   I received a number of messages from lesbians that objected to four of the "Women of Stonewall" as being not biological women.

Personally, If they had been identified correctly as transwomen I would have had no objection, If the category was define as "The Transwomen of Stonewall.  The word transgender began being used in the early '90s and the word transwoman not until the after 2009.

But the word chosen was "women" and in my view cause a rift in a year when we should have been celebrating our victories. Gender expression and protection of those who are seen and feel  themselves gender-wise as different is not new to gay and lesbian communities. Gender expression has always been what has identified us when we could not pass as straight. The closet did not protect us, The pain of oppression and bias because of out gender expression is not knew.

LANGUAGE CHANGES, YES!   BUT LANGUAGE RESPECT SHOULD ALWAYS be practice in recalling history rather than layering politically correct language of today that is constantlychanging and changing.

Lets me talk about why I had called  about their FIVE WOWMEN OF STONEWALL .One of whom is a well know grifter and acknowledged liar who was not present at the Stonewall Rebellion, In fact only became visible in the early '70's when working for Lee Brewster's drag emporium for men who wanted to dress as women on 14th Street (cross-dressers and/or transvestites in the language of the day)  His name is Williamson Henderson, He organized a group called Stonewall Veterans, And has used his position as Executive Director to raise funds for his personal use and representative himself as the legitimate voice of participants in the four nights of the Stonewall Rebellion, He is one of the four "Women of Stonewall", Henderson did have a drag persona Lady Allyson in the middle 70's . He was active in the Royal Court of NYC until he was thrown out because after being elected treasurer, he stole the group's treasury.

They also mis-identified Marsha P. Johnson as a woman. Those of us, including myself, who knew Marsha well,  know that Marsha identified as a gay man who liked to "dress up" as, what he thought, was a beautiful gay man. In fact Marsha, when he was invited to ride in the Grand Marshall's car the year the mob interests took back the organizing of the Christopher Liberation March. Ed Murphy, the gay mob money man at Stonewall  in charge of paying off the cops and taking the profits back to the boys in the back room was chosen as the Grand Marshall and designated the "King Of Christopher Street.", Marsha was asked by Murphy to ride with him in the Grand Marshall's car. Marsha did. In complete boy drag .. and the radian smile intact.  

Sylvia Rivera was identified as a member of the Gay Activist Alliance. Sylvia was at the founding meeting of the Gay Liberation Front/NYC on the third night of the Stonewall Rebellion and remained  active in GLF until it disburse, Yes we both joined GAA and neither one of us were welcomed by the leadership. Our names are in the official members list of GAA. 

STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolution) was a cell of GLF/NYC. When we established the first Lesbian and Gay Community Center on West 4th Street and 6th avenue, Sylvia and Marsha moved STAR in and its homeless members in. They remained there until it was closed.

GAA thew Sylvia off the stage in the viral video of Sylvia reclaiming her space...not GLF/NYC or as has been repeatedly posted,  me, Sylvia and I remained friends through out the ups and downs of political correctness,

GLF's  history has either been erased or so distorted by authors like David Carter and Eric Marcus among others. I feel each of us in entitled to tell the stories of the times we lived though as we ...all of us..seeded regardless of gender expression, race, gender or age Lesbian and Gay liberation

Whew.. lot of history to cover,

Let me finish what happened with my call to World Pride and Ms. Renna. When I told Ms, Renna why Iwas clling she asked me if i thougth transwomen were women, I asswered I thougth transwomen were transwomen, I also asked her if she knew the history of how transwomen and transman came in use. She than told me I was transphobic, that, "... I could look at the World Pride website if I needed contact information." She told shewas ending the call and ensured me she would "...make sure everyone who worked at World Pride and HOP knew I had called with my transphobic questions."

Renna than hung up on me.

There is an alternative March planned by some former members of ACT UP... 25 years ago ACT UP had an alternative March centered on AIDS, For over 16 months a small group of NYC activist have been meeting and decided to ignore the WORLD PRIDE event hosted by Heritage of Pride because HOP had nto real community based roots and had captiulated  to the NYC Poilice department controll oof the March and its shortening the actual length of the March to 1/3 of what it has historically been, The Police are requiring all marchers to wear writs band identifiers, Ever singe Christine Quinn agreed to the






Saturday, June 15, 2019

GOOD NEWS in a dangerous time .. LOVE is essential in making Change

On June 23  2019 Joel Handorff and I will be married/ (Yes on my my birthday ) 

I have held off on making this announcement until we got the permit for use of the Park. It is small and it will be open to the public,,but we have the right to marry  in it.. rain or shine.


We choose this small park because on Christopher Street where,  in 1969,  a rebellion took place to reject internalized homophobia and fight for full personhood and full equality in our work life and our personal lives  and the lives of all oppressed people.


Most of you know I consider the Stonewall Inn a symbol of our oppression and Christopher Street in front of the Inn a symbol of liberation 


 I was there that first night and the following nights. What happened changed my life forever,  I decided to dedicate my life to making a safe place for lesbians and gay men of all gender expression.by changing culture,


Yet,  these are very dangerous times today,


The recent violent attack by neo- nazis on participants in the Detroit Pride March and the the disruption of the DC parade by a man waving a gun and muttering homophonic noise are but two of the incidents we know about encouraged by the rhetoric of the Trump administration


Be careful as you celebrate our victories over the last 50 years, There is still much work to be done all over the world.


Here in the US, Choice is under attack, The right for women to be able to  control their own bodies may be lost. 


This I believe is also an attack on the LGBT community and our right to control our own bodies.  I fear marriage equality will be next. 


While I never thought.marriage was important, I have come to believe that same sex civil marriage is the most important victory we have achieved.  (Marriage Equality)  We,  as a community,  along with allies defeated religious institutions who have been the bedrock of aggressive homophobia. 


I quite unexpectedly fell in love with Joel an artist and a teacher who is age appropriate. He asked me to marry him and I let love and erotic desire center me in my heart and not my head.


 Amazingly, I  answered "Yes"!


I realized for me that love is a political act ..(thank you Che.) I want to say to all of the women and men who survived the AIDS plague: Don't give up on the possibility that  this can happen to you too. Sure at my age the reasons may be different but sexual intimacy is still alive and important  for both of us,


We will be married in a same sex civil marriage ceremony by Penny Arcade  at  the Stonewall Monument at 1:30,


There will be a reception at Pangea from 3-5, Cash bar (Happy Hour prices,, and food will be available)  Some Macros (Joe Rudick, Richard Dworkin and Dave Hofstra) will be making sounds and perhaps a friend or two may sing or read .



If you need more information contact me privately. Also,  we could use some help on the 23rd 

Oh! Joel is an artist and has a solo.show up until July 18 at the Ivy Brown Gallery 675 Hudson,  4th floor at 14 St in the Meat Market. Each Sat he will be sitting in the gallery sketching people. So please come and meet him and look at his current work: BLOSSOMS , Magic Mirror!


Here is Joel with Ivy Brown at her Gallery where solo show is taking place