history month Media
“I just thought, ‘Oh my gosh. All these ideas that I had about success in the media and being out, they were just wrong.’” - Gio Benitez, News correspondent
LGBT History Month Headlines The Peculiar Case of Robert Rayford This is the story of “patient zero,” the man once believed to have spread HIV throughout the U.S., written by Graham Brunk. A History of Poppers in South Florida This is the history of poppers in our backyard written by Graham Brunk. Will the Real Allen Parsons Please Stand Up? This is the story of a South Florida gay man who has evaded police for 41 years written by Graham Brunk. For Museum Curators, Garments Offer Stylish Storytelling Read about a beloved new exhibit of LGBT garments, which features and discusses the history of gay and gendervariant attire as far back as the 1800’s. Alfred Kinsey “Was Our Stonewall” There was a time when 1 out of every 2 Americans Gallup polled knew Alfred Kinsey’s name. Read Michael Bedwell’s tribute to “the man who made the homosexual movement possible.” Visit SFGN.com/History2019 to read them.
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queer people today don’t know much about their history. “We’re a group of people that survived mental institutions, penal institutions, behavior modification. We lost our families by coming out, our parents, we got our children taken away. Science called us sick, religion called us sinful,” she says. Jazz Jennings, arguably the world’s best-known trans teen, disagrees that younger LGBTQ people are ignorant of the movement’s past. “In this new age of technology, I would say that most queer young people are pretty knowledgeable about Stonewall and LGBTQ+ history. “Especially with ABC News correspondent Gio Benitez. the recent 50th anniversary, I think a lot more people are recognizing the roles that trans women played in kickstarting the DeGeneres began preparing the public Gay Liberation Movement, specifically seems to know Harvey Milk, but not the Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and groundbreaking activists who preceded for her announcement months before, including an appearance on O’Donnell’s hit Miss Major Griffin-Gracy,” says Jennings, him. “Why do we need one hero? Why do we daytime talk show, where she told TV fans a reality TV star who names trans actress Laverne Cox as her professional role need one Harvey Milk?,” Tyler says. “When they would soon learn the Ellen character you take one person and you think they’re is “Lebanese.” model. O’Donnell, who publicly came out in Jennings says “young people are the epitome of the movement and you forget [Metropolitan Community Church 2002, then teased DeGeneres: “Maybe I’m creating a new history just by existing as founder] Troy Perry or [1950s activist] Frank Lebanese.” who they are.” Added DeGeneres: “Half of Hollywood is “In this modern world being LGBTQ+ Kameny of Mattachine, all of a sudden it sucks the air out of the room.” Lebanese.” is a struggle, and by living as their Tyler, who admires fellow comedians Out comedian Judy Gold, who won 1998 authentic selves, queer young people are starting a movement of increased Ellen DeGeneres and Lily Tomlin, also and ’99 Daytime Emmy awards for her work carries some personal resentment. on “Rosie,” recalls the DeGeneres-O’Donnell awareness and inclusivity.” “The one thing I want “Lebanese” exchange as spontaneous, not Jennings is 18. Tyler, who is to say – the only thing scripted. 59 years older, believes much that bothers me – is “It was just brilliant and it was a turning of what young people are when somebody point,” recalls Gold, 56. “The beginning of being taught about LGBTQ like Lea DeLaria everyone coming out. history is distorted by says she was the “You can’t imagine, it’s only 22 years Hollywood and the media. first on television, ago and how much it could destroy your Tyler says she and then Rosie career. They were easing in. Think about participated in the O’Donnell keeps it: Daytime is way more restrictive than second night of protests thanking her for nighttime talk shows. It was so great to hear at Stonewall Inn after the - Robin Tyler being the first on in the community, ‘Hey, did you see that?’ It June 28, 1969, New York City television. I finally was just fucking ‘Go girl!’ You just wanted to police raid and remembers tried to contact Rosie prop them up and say thank you.” things differently. and say Lea wasn’t the first, Gold, who has two sons, ages 22 and 17, “Let me assure you, it was 93 I was.” says she publicly came out because of her percent, 94 percent gay men. Young gay 1997 was a watershed year in our history, children. “It was like, ‘Oh my God, I have men,” Tyler says. “To rewrite it as any when the first major media celebrity so much material. Everyone talks about kind of history that it wasn’t, and there (DeGeneres) officially came out on the April their families and, look, I was kind of happy were a ton of white gay men, to rewrite about it. the history and to leave them out in 14 cover of Time magazine: “Yep, I’m gay.” At the same time, DeGeneres’ character “You can’t be a great comedian if you’re order to be politically correct is really on her popular ABC sitcom Ellen, also came lying. The only thing that’s funny is truth. very wrong.” out, adding to the media frenzy. “I think back to the people who were She’s also angry that everyone
“Why do we need one hero? Why do we need one Harvey Milk?”