HAILING A HISTORIC REBELLION STONEWALL GETS ITS OFFICIAL RECOGNITION, GILL FOUNDATION PLEDGES $250,000 FOR STUDY
Photo: Bebeto Matthews /AP Inset: Hyoung Chang / Getty
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n June 1969, police officers raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular nightclub in Greenwich Village. At the time, New York law barred public displays of “homosexuality” and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender clubs were often raided, with countless LGBT people were arrested. But that night at Stonewall, as the policemen made arrests — mainly targeting the club’s transgender and drag patrons — bottles began flying as the officers began handcuffing people, putting them into paddy wagons. The incident sparked a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations for days afterward. Forty-five years later, officials with the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior stood outside of Stonewall (above) to commemorate the anniversary
of the uprising and announced plans for an important, new study that would recognize significant places, events and figures within LGBT history. U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell delivered preliminary remarks, which included special recognition to Tim Gill and the Gill Foundation for helping to finance the study. The foundation has pledged $250,000 to the effort. “LGBT history is not littered with historic, larger-than-life figures,” said Gill at the landmark event outside of Stonewall. “Rather, it’s a history made by each and every individual who works for equality.” Gill is the founder and former chair of Quark, Inc., the popular page layout software. He created the Gill Foundation in 1994 shortly after a 1992 Colorado ballot initiative tried
to deny legal protections to the LGBT community. In 2000, Gill sold his interest in Quark to focus on his philanthropic efforts. The Gill Foundation has since become one of the largest fundraisers for LGBT equality in the United States, investing more than $259 million dollars in American programs and non-profit organizations. This summer, the U.S. Department of the Interior held a panel to present the scholars and archivists who will lead the National Park Service’s heritage initiative. Among the special guests was House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, who praised the initiative.
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“It’s about expanding freedom. It’s about making America more American,” she said. “It’s long overdue,” Pelosi expressed, “but nonetheless wonderful.” National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis also emphasized the importance of community input to build upon a more comprehensive, more inclusive history. Those who wish to participate in the study can submit nominations for places, events and historical figures through the National Park Service website. The National Park Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Theme Study is projected to be completed by 2016. For more information about the study, visit www.nps.gov/ heritageinitiatives/LGBThistory.
LATE SUMMER/EARLY FALL 2014
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