TL;DR
- Anniversary of the Stonewall uprising celebrated this Pride Month.
- LGBTQ+ advocates secured a legal victory for the Pride flag.
- Atlanta’s lesser-known role in LGBTQ+ activism highlighted.
- Invisible Histories archive documents Southern queer history.
- More queer history waiting to be uncovered.
Hello and Happy Monday, folks! Audience Editor Edgar Ramirez is back in your inbox, and let me tell you, Sunday marked a significant anniversary—the Stonewall uprising. This year, it holds even more meaning during Pride Month, as LGBTQ+ advocates recently scored a legal victory that required the Trump administration to permanently restore the Pride flag at the Stonewall National Monument. Yes, you heard that right. The flag is back, and it’s waving proudly after being removed earlier this year.
In a fabulous twist, Christopher Wiggins gave us an in-depth look at a new video series launched by Lambda Legal this month, documenting the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. While Stonewall is often hailed as the most iconic event in LGBTQ+ history, let’s not forget about Atlanta, which was also at the forefront of the fight back in 1969. You might be surprised to learn that the Lonesome Cowboys raid, sparked by a screening of an Andy Warhol movie, has been dubbed “the Stonewall of the South that history forgot” by Smithsonian Magazine. And honey, that’s a title worth exploring.
As Samantha Allen writes, the LGBTQ+ advocacy scene in the American South has always marched to the beat of its own drum. Atlanta, along with more rural areas, developed unique organizing strategies that made sense for their communities. Joshua Burford, co-executive director of Invisible Histories, a community-based archive focused on the South, told Allen, “We developed our own organizing in the South in ways that made sense to us in places that were super rural, with smaller populations, just as successfully, if not more successfully, in other, like, larger urban spots.”
So, while Stonewall is undeniably a pivotal moment in our history, it’s crucial to recognize that it wasn’t the only one. There’s a treasure trove of queer history waiting to be discovered, and we’re just scratching the surface. So, let’s keep the conversation going and uncover those stories that deserve to be told.
Thanks for tuning in, folks! We’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow with more fabulous updates. Stay proud and keep fighting the good fight!