You Can Join Demi Lovato, Cynthia Erivo, and More for a Virtual Stonewall Day Celebration Today
The 51st anniversary of the Stonewall riots is approaching on June 28th, and, this Friday, LGBTQ+ advocates are making sure this day doesn’t go by without commemoration. Pride Live, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, is hosting its third annual Stonewall Day celebration in advance of the anniversary this weekend. Instead of taking place in-person at the iconic Stonewall Inn, where the riots began in 1969, the celebration will happen virtually—and there’s a stacked lineup of celebrity appearances.
On Friday, June 26th—the same date the same-sex marriage was legalized in every state in 2015—Pride Live’s Stonewall Day celebration will live stream on Logo’s YouTube and Facebook pages. Celebrity guests and performers include Cynthia Erivo, Demi Lovato, Hayley Kiyoko, Kesha, Ellen DeGeneres, Taylor Swift, and Katy Perry. Model and trans advocate Geena Rocero will host.
Former President Barack Obama put out his address ahead of the live-stream event on Thursday, celebrating those involved in the Stonewall riots and emphasizing the positive impact of protests throughout history.
"Because of the movement they sparked and the decades of work that followed, marriage equality became the law of the land five years ago, and just this month the Supreme Court ruled that employers can no longer discriminate against LGBTQ workers," Obama says in the video. "The struggle and triumph for LGBTQ rights shows how protests and politics go hand in hand, how we've got to both shine a light on injustice and translate those aspirations into specific laws and institutional practices."
In a statement, Dr. Yvette Burton, the board director of Pride Live, explained how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has negatively affected LGBTQ+ organizations and their ability to serve communities most in need. “[The pandemic] has resulted in vital and life-saving LGBTQ+ organizations having to severely amend their budgets and programs,” she said. “Our hopes are Stonewall Day can assist our beneficiaries in continuing their work and service to the community. The live stream will raise funds to benefit LGBTQ+ organizations including Brave Space Alliance, TransLatin Coalition, Trans Lifeline, and The Ally Coalition.
Dr. Yvette Burton also emphasized the importance of intersectionality during the Stonewall celebration, acknowledging the Black trans lives that have recently been lost.
"From Marsha P. Johnson’s revolution at Stonewall, to the recent murders of Dominique Fells and Riah Milton, the protection of trans people of color continues to be the litmus test of freedom and equal opportunities," Dr. Yvette Burton, the board director of Pride Live, said in a press release. "Policies such as the Trump administration’s reversed protections for transgender people in the U.S. health-care system, adds the disproportionate effect of fatal violence, impacted by the intersections of racism, sexism, homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia across communities and families."
Tune in to Stonewall Day live stream event from 12:45 to 3 p.m. Eastern on Facebook and Youtube, and check here for a list of Black LGBTQ+ organizations that could use your support right now.
