It’s officially pride week. Time to break out those dancin’ shoes.
Fearsome will start with the men who made this teen, back when he was a teen in the late 1970s, wish he was older so he too could be at the discos out west in San Fransisco.
Village People – Go West – 1979
Handsome Beard
The pressures of oppression were building long before Stonewall. Let us not forget the many who trudged the unknown paths prior to June 28, 1969.
Naked Beard
Many attribute the uprising of Stonewall to the drag queens and transgender present the night of the raid 50 years ago. Today much of our leadership is inspired by those same members of our diverse community.
Diversity and acceptance are character qualities I support, admire and strive toward. I applaud those who step up and out, to lead us through living their own truth. It is through their vulnerability that courage and strength are born.
Thank you to Peppermint, Lady Bunny and Sasha Velour for your inspiration and leadership.
Inspired Beard
While the video’s title didn’t thrill me by starting with the words “Old Gays”, I was interested to see what insight the video held. My takeaway is when the one immediately responds that the significance of Stonewall is what happened afterwards and that is still unfolding.
As pride month continues in its 50th year after Stonewall let us continue the significance of this humble rebellion and it’s aftermath. Happy Pride.
Summer Beard
Being the 50th anniversary of Stonewall I search daily for a new video that resonates. Some days the videos just pop into my YouTube suggestions, some days I run into them on another blog and still other days I take the time to search. Today I searched and I learned, I found growth…growth in my understanding.
I’ll never be able to fully understand the plight of those born into the wrong body, but I can try to empathize through understanding from pieces of my own personal experiences. Even though I was born into an exterior male body that matches my inner gay male persona, I can understand this new term I learned today, Shapeshifting. While I didn’t have to act as a different sex, I did have to lie and act as if I was attracted to the opposite sex in order to hide who I really was. I can still catch myself shapeshifting as it was something engrained deeply in me early in my life.
I cannot claim to understand the complete experience of transgender. I can love, accept, embrace and support to the best of my own empathy and understanding.
Vulnerability = Courage
FTM Beard
Growing up in the 1960s and 1970s I remember a time where what I felt and who I was attracted to was a secret. I learned early that I had a secret and a secret it would remain.
Therefore today when I run across a video such as this one in which a famous young gay man lives behind his secret I can empathize.
Don’t get me wrong, I wish Elton and others had been out and able to lead thus showing me that I was ok. However, I understand. I understand now that for them the safety of the curtain allowed them to live two lives. One life in front of the curtain out on stage and another in secret behind it. Society actually demanded the separation.
Stars of the past who tried to live their truth found their careers ruined and were ostracized, rejected into oblivion.
Today Elton is able to live as an out gay man. He is married and has two children. After all those years in hiding, today he can live as an example. Unfortunately Billy Haines never made it to see the day where his lifelong relationship would be validated much less that he could live and work as an out gay man.
What Billy Haines chose isn’t lost on me though. He chose to live his truth and to live as an out gay man, but it lost him his career. In his own way he blazed a trail by refusing to live a double life, or in other words he refused to live a lie.
Elton chose to live the lie until eventually his truth started to be too obvious, yet fortunately for him the times had changed to acceptance. But I don’t fault Elton. He had much to contribute, and contribute he did through his work and art. He was fortunate that thankfully times finally changed.
Societal “norms” keep people from fully expressing and living their truths.
Isn’t it time we appreciate differences and continue to challenge societal norms? Isn’t it time we actually question gender stereotypes? Isn’t it possible that the actual organ isn’t the actual sex? Isn’t it possible that sex, or sexuality, doesn’t even fucking matter?
Peppermint & Cazwell’s video Blend has appeared here before. It’s worth a re-post.
If we all do not understand, empathize, love, accept, support, forgive and STAND UP for each other then who will?
Let’s celebrate each other. Let’s celebrate life.
Momentous Beard
Trailblazer.
Harvey’s foray into politics followed closely after Stonewall yet it took him several tries to finally get elected into office. However as he did, he blazed a trail. Like those who took a stand the night of Stonewall and into the days that followed, Harvey took a stand and he persevered.
Neither the rioters nor Harvey knew where their new paths would lead, yet look where we are today. Let us make all of them proud and continue our march forward. America and the whole world can only be great if we keep moving forward toward better horizons of understanding, respect and equality. It’s up to us as there is much left to do.
Beach Beard
Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down
Just in time for Pride 2019 …
Star Studded Shade = Fabulousness!
Green Eyed Beard
An ally, an inspiration…
Love, hope, respect, acceptance, humanity at its best.
Thank you and Happy Father’s Day to you Scott “Howie” Dittman for your love, inspiration and leadership.
While Stonewall is commemorated as the flash point into LGBTQI activism and equality, LGBTQI history is diverse and lengthy.
This short documentary gives a glimpse into the life and movement out here on the west coast prior to, during and after Stonewall.
We have come a long way, yet we have a long way ahead of us as well.
Biker Beard
This is a wonderful video of someone sharing their own story about the experience of being there at the Stonewall uprising.
Fearsome highly recommends everyone clicking play.
Jay, Thank You for sharing your story and for walking the path leading us all to better and lifting us as a community. You are an inspiration.
