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STONEWALL Veterans' Association
=====S.V.A.=====
of the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion in New York City
~~~~~Newzletta~~~~~
S.V.A. 2009 Events
Real GLBT Pride: "Queens of Stonewall"
Parade background: 1969 "Stonewall Car" on Fifth Avenue
[S.V.A. Photography for "Stonewall-25" by Benay Phillips]
See event webfile at www.STONEWALLvets.org/parade/SW-26.htm
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STONEWALL V.A. Newz and Events spanning eight years!
=spelling "G" lesson=
Spell "Gay" with a capital "G". We are a people, too!
German... Grecian... Guamanian... Gorgonzolan... Gay!
This clear, correct, common sense and respectful concept
was inaugurated exclusively by Williamson L. Henderson V
when he spelled "Gay" with a capital "G" in the Stonewall Era
and, officially, when he founded Proofreaders Unlimited in 1981.
Williamson has regularly promoted this correct Gay people spelling!
"Gay" spelling has been on everything that the S.V.A. has published.
Quoting WLH: "The Gay community is typically slow to catch on
to almost anything, even when it is read to them in black and white.
The S.V.A. has been spelling "Gay" since our website began in 1998.
Respect for any person or a people starts by spelling their name right!"
Saturday, July 25 -- MONTHLY MEETING of the S.V.A.
The first meeting of the new S.V.A. season (July 1 to June 30) is
at the New York GLBT Center at 212 West 13 Street off Seventh Avenue in
Greenwich Avenue in Manhattan from 4:15 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, July 11 -- BROADWAY CARES PRESENTS "BROADWAY BARKS & MEOWS"
This 11th annual event benfits the direct adoption of dogs and
cats! Adopters must have proper identification and proof of their
residence. The bark-a-thon and meow-a-thon happens in famous
Shubert Alley west of Broadway between 44th and 45th Streets from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m. For more event info, you may visit: www.BCEFA.org.
Thursday, July 2 -- "ENJOY YOURSELF" with RECORD-BREAKING WEBSITE VISITS
The S.V.A. website "rocks with you" to again surge to a whopping
66,000+ visits in one day! Hey, and Gay Pride Month is
suppoosedly over. Thus with the strength and popularity of the
S.V.A. site, it is through the STONEWALL Veterans' Association -- not
the local city Gayragpaper -- that literally millions of people
worldwide learn about the Stonewall Era and the Stonewall Rebellion and
the Stonewall People.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009 -- S.V.A. WEBSITE CONTINUES with HUGE POPULARITY AMIDST POST-STONEWALL 40 and STONEWALL LEGEND MICHAEL JACKSON
July's record-breaking S.V.A. website statistics continue
where June's left off! Today was 55,053. This is muchly due
to post-Gay Pride Month follow-ups and 411 plus the demised Michael Jackson and the will-named Diana Ross
phenomena and both of their Stonewall connections. Diana was
the "Queen of Stonewall" with The Supremes such as "No Matter What
Sign U Are" and "Someday We'll Be Together" and Michael and his Jackson
Brothers were the new kids on the block and the final new stars at
Stonewall with their "I Want U Back" and its flipside "Who's Lovin'
You" at the end of the 1960s.
"STONEWALL 40"
STONEWALL Veterans' Association (S.V.A.) of
the Stonewall Rebellion
will be participating throughout
the City and the State of New York as
well as various cities throughout America -- and Europe -- for SW-40!
Tuesday, June 30 -- WEBSITE of the S.V.A. IS ITS MOST POPULAR
For the Gay Pride Month of June 2009, the S.V.A. website surpassed
9/10-ths of a million verified visits in just one month! The
average for this Gay Pride Month has been over 30,000 visits per day.
Today scored 43,157 visits. To view June's stats, see:
www.STONEWALLvets.org/stats/2009_06.html.
Monday, June 29 -- S.V.A. WEBSITE on a ROLL with OVER 50,000 WEBSITE VISITS
On "Stonewall Monday", a day and date of the
original Stonewall Rebellion, the S.V.A. website racked up an
impressive 52,409 verified visits. To see the interesting
statistics and the most popular webfiles, please see www.STONEWALLvets.org/stats/2009_06.html
Monday, June 29 -- GAY PRIDE MONTH'S STONEWALL FINALE: S.V.A. STONEWALL SHINDIG at the ORIGINAL STONEWALL INN --
Greenwich Village, NY-- Shindig
at The Stonewall Inn! Appropriately, forty years later, in
fact, the middle
night -- June 29th -- of the Stonewall Rebellion, Gay patrons
of the Stonewall Inn and veterans of the Stonewall Rebellion return
to the scene of the fun and the history, respectively.
Party is co-hosted by Williamson Henderson and Storme DeLarverie. Original "Songs of The Stonewall" will be played to reminisce --
and dance!
Listen to truly great songs of Michael Jackson & The
Jackson 5, Diana Ross & The
Supremes, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand,
Marvin Gaye, The Shangri-Las, The Temptations, Shirley Bassey, Frankie
Valli & The Four Seasons, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, The
Four Tops, Dusty
Springfield, Tommy James, The Marvelettes, The Rascals, Dionne Warwick,
Len Barry and so many more great songs by great artists! Deejay is Rogers Hunt.
"The
Happening" (as in the #1 Stonewall song) times are a
symbolic "6" p.m. to "9" p.m. Full cash bar. At The Stonewall door will be AnDre Christie for you to sign in and pay $10 fee. Weather-permitting, on display will be the famous 1969
"Stonewall Car". For more event 411, contact SVA-er Jeremiah Newton at (212) 998-1760 or Ruthybird at (347) 404-4427. For general info, contact the S.V.A. at (212) 6-27-1969.
Monday, June 29 -- NEW YORK TIMES FEATURES STONEWALL VETERANS ASSOCIATION FLOAT
The special Gay Pride tribute by The New York Times
on-line features a stunning photo of the STONEWALL Veterans'
Association Float showcasing many veterans of the rebellion at
Stonewall and the fabulous float banner of the S.V.A.
Sunday, June 28 -- RECORD-BREAKING STREAK CONTINUES with S.V.A. WEBSITE HITTING nearly 60,000
On "Stonewall Sunday", typically the
S.V.A.'s busiest day, the website tallied exactly 59,571 verified
visits! Search words most popular such as "Stonewall", "veterans", "NYC", "Gay",
"pride", "parade", "1969", "rebellion", "Cadillac" and
convertible" tell the specifics of interest for the internet readers.
Sunday, June 28 -- NEW YORK 1 NEWS APOLOGIZES to the S.V.A.
After 40 years, to have a prominent local media, which
knows better, to misname the parade -- which was started to
commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion -- is bad news
reporting and revolting! Calling it the "Hertitage of Pride
Parade" is totally wrong. HOP is the parade organizer.
HOP did not exist until two decades after the rebellion!
The parade name is the "40th Annual Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and
Transgender Pride March". What a difference! (Of course, it
is really a parade.)
Williamson Henderson ("WLH")
contacted the t.v. station and spoke with people in three
different areas. All three accommodating staffers recognized
that NY-1 was delivering wrong information and repeatedly
every half hour. (Their news recycles.) Each embarrassingly
apologized and vowed to correct the Gay parade name. Since
this has happened before with NY-1 -- one time due to a councilmember's
ignorant press release for which WLH corrected the councilmember and
the t.v. station at that time -- Williamson requested
that they investigate to uncover the source of this
misinformation. The name of our parade must be common
knowledge to over 90% of the GLBT community! By the way, New
York 1 News has televised S.V.A. functions and meetings and interviewed SW-Vetz since their station opened sixteen years ago.
Results: New
York One News' investigation yielded the "Miss Info" culprit:
openly-Gay Council Speaker Christine Quinn. She (once again) sent
NY-1 News a self-promotional press release which, not 'in fact', was erroneous.
Sadly, Gay her still does not know the name of our Gay Pride
parade. For the record, she and her revolving Gay liaisons have
been corrected by letter, phone, fax and e-mail in prior years.
From a Gay public official, especially in the same town as
the Stonewall everything, it really is inexcusable and shameful!
"Stonewall Sunday", June 28, 2009 (afternoon) -- 40th ANNUAL NEW YORK CITY GAY, LESBIAN, BI & TRANSGENDER ("GLBT") PRIDE P-A-R-A-D-E (it ain't no 'march')
New York, NY -- Unlike the spontaneous Stonewall Rebellion of exactly four decades ago --
where Gay people did not have to plan for nor vote on nor agree to anything nor contemplate
ramifications -- this celebratory "SW-40" happening requires much
discussing and planning across the board. The first step is to invite
family, friends and associates from around the World to join you in
participating in the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion in the original Gay Pride
Parade in New York City -- the Capital of the World!
You can do this by marching with an organized group or being
one of the estimated million spectators this year along the long and winding parade route.
The
next step is that the S.V.A., other groups and parade
entrants have
to deal with the changing rules, regulations and contradictions of
Heritage of Pride ("HOP"). The HOP is the NYC Gay Pride Parade
organizer which has a stated and moral obligation to represent all of the GLBT
community. HOP failed to select the respectful and obvious choice
for parade grand marshal on "SW-40" namely the STONEWALL Veterans'
Association of the Stonewall Rebellion. The reality is
that HOP has done absolutely nothing
for the Stonewall veterans! One of HOP's jaded
ideas was to have a HOPer drive
the famous "Stonewall Car", which
is owned and operated by the S.V.A. Say what? No
way is the chain reaction to that insulting non-sense!
In the "lead section" of the
parade, is the STONEWALL Veterans' Association float
for
those
Stonewallers who wish to cruise down the avenue parade-style on
Stonewall Sunday.
The S.V.A. Float -- showcasing 20 veterans of
Stonewall --
is arranged by the Gay Officers' Action League ("GOAL").
The float will have a uniformed GOAL police escort! In
a Gay twist
for the 40th anniversary of
"Stonewall", the recognizeable blue "Stonewall Car"
convertible
with its original
owner and Stonewall veterans will be the parade's "grand finale"
like the Sleigh with Santa
Claus and his reindeer as the finale of the New York
Thanksgiving Day parade!
The Stonewall veterans are the symbolic
bookends of the New York Gay Pride Parade!
"S.V.A. Float" {list in reverse alphabetical order}: "Stonewall Veterans" on the float includes: Mark Zatlow (from Los Angeles), Mary S. Twist (from New Jersey), Patti Stone (from North Miami), Bill Salzman (from Brooklyn), Michael Safdiah (from West Village), Rusti Rose (from Long Island), Jack Rojas (from Times Square), Miss Toni Polita (from Jackson Heights), Jeremiah Newton (from East Village), Phyllis Murray (from Upper West Side), Clyde Meltzer (from Sunset Park), Bob Isadore (Stonewall spouse from Cape Cod), Gil Horowitz (from Williamsburg), Cristina Hayworth (from Puerta Rica), Roby Giordano (from Murray Hill), John Diehl (from San Diego), Bobalu Candelaria (from Puerto Rico), Ruthybird Campbell (from Birdland), Betty Bristol (from Cleveland) and David Bermudez (from Massachusetts). If there is a sound system on board, original "Songs of The Stonewall" music will be played by Rogers Hunt.
Banner Boyz: The S.V.A. float is preceded by a
colorful red, white and purple S.V.A. banner. Three beefy guys are this year's S.V.A. banner guard.
The Banner Boyz are Luiz Queiroz, Jason Blanchero and Carlos Miranda. They
will be dressed in unison wearing something (but not much) "rainbow".
S.V.A. Line-Up (pun intended):
The "Stonewall Float" will be located on 52nd Street between
Fifth Avenue and Avenue of the Americas. The float is exclusively
for "Stonewall Veterans" who are members of the S.V.A. in good standing (pun intended). For
non-member SW-Vetz, we can administer our SW verification tests at
the scene! Next up would be due$. Suggested time of
arrival is @ 11 a.m. for SW-Vetz to have an hour for catchy-catch, chatty chat-ups,
interviews and photo-ops before the parade zooms-off @ high noon.
The
fabulously Gay parade -- enriched in all ways incrementally by 40
years of participation, expansion and innovation -- is the largest in the World! Line-up
locations are on Fifth Avenue and
its cross streets from 52nd to 56th Streets between Avenue of
The Americas and Madison Avenue. Parade revs up -- traditionally
escorted by the
Dykes-on-Bykes motorcycles -- and ignites promptly @ 12 noon! The
one-of-a-kind festive parade travels directly down the "Queen of the Avenues" --
Fifth
Avenue
-- through Midtown Manhattan, past outer Chelsea and passing Fourteenth
Street into Gay Greenwich Village turning right on Gay West 8th
Street to Gay Christopher Street where it turns left (pun
intended),
passing the historic Stonewall Club at Stonewall Place and heads toward
the Hudson River.......
"Stonewall Car" - 1969 Cadillac Convertible: King Storme DeLarverie (S.V.A. Ambassador), Jackie Barrett (S.V.A. Executive Committee), Leigh McManus (S.V.A. Editor) and Hal Weiner (S.V.A. Legal Advisor) -- plus the driver AnDre Christie (S.V.A.
Staff Assistant). Symbolically, the car is regarded as "A rolling
symbol of Gay Pride"! The SW-Car will appropriately have its
own
mini-motorcycle escort provided and driven by a NYCPD police officer!
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* * * * * * *
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Decade ago: STONEWALL Vets' Assn. leading the NYC Gay Pride Parade
Saturday, June 27 -- S.V.A. SCORES ANOTHER WEBSITE RECORD-BREAKER with 52,000
How appropriate to have such a tremendous amount of website visits
-- 52,032 -- on the exact anniversary date of the first night of
the
Stonewall Rebellion!
Saturday, June 27 -- ANNIVERSARY MEETING of the STONEWALL V.A. and ANNUAL REUNION of the STONEWALL VETERANS from 4:15 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. at THE NEW YORK CITY GLBT CENTER
June 27th is the
actual anniversary date of "Stonewall"! Today is the annual
S.V.A. Stonewall Pride meeting and Stonewall Veterans reunion
sponsored by the STONEWALL Veterans' Association ("S.V.A."). To quote the title of a
signature Stonewall song, "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing".
This is a celebratory conference as well as taking care of
business such as Gay Pride Parade plans and the annual
"Stonewall Duncheon" tomorrow.
Veterans of the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion from around America will
be introduced on stage and each will speak throughout "the happening".
There are students attending from
various locales. Throughout the year, the S.V.A. Speakers Bureau
presents speakers at high schools and colleges about the unique
Stonewall Era
and the historic Stonewall Rebellion.
Special guests, a symbolic number of "27" as in "June 27th" (1969), including New York public
officials, Gay community leaders and SVA-supportive political
candidates, have confirmed that
they are paying their Gay Pride respects to the S.V.A. and delivering gaiety to
its members and friends. Guest speakers
are listed herein with the exception of a major surprise guest!
*
Keynote "STONEWALL Veterans' Association" Speaker:
Hal M. Weiner, Esq., legendary New York City civil rights attorney and legal advisor to
the STONEWALL V.A. and the Gay Activists Alliance (GAA) of New York
Introduction of and Remarks by Stonewall Veterans:
Confirmed veterans of the Stonewall Rebellion include: Jeremiah Newton (New York University's Film & Television Liaison), Storme DeLarverie, Jewel Box Revue legend, Bill Salzman (First Principal of Harvey Milk High School), Leigh McManus (with his 20-year partner Benson), Elizabeth Smith (accomplished writer), Rose Giordano (Women's Koffee House host), Michael Safdiah (former restauranteur), Joan C. Sobel, Gil Horowitz, Barbara Policie, and others.
Special Guest Speakers
* U.S. Congresswoman (Brooklyn/20th) Yvette D. Clarke
* Former NYC Councilmember and NYC Parks Commissioner Henry J. Stern
* Leslie C. Snyder, former NYC Criminal Court judge and Manhattan District Attorney candidate
* NYC Councilman (Brooklyn/39th) Bill de Blasio, Public Advocate candidate
* Imperial QUEENS & Kings of NY, Princess Jenni Egan
* Commonwealth of Massachusetts reps with Proclamation for the S.V.A.
* PRIDE Democrats, Steven Gradman
* NYC Councilman (Queens/20th) John C. Liu, candidate for NYC Comptroller
* Youth-for-SVA, Gina Wright
* NYC Councilwoman (Manhattan/8th) Melissa M. Viverito
* Jewel Box Revue, Storme DeLarverie
* Activist Attorney Norman H. Siegel, candidate for Public Advocate
* Chelsea Artists, Susan Olmetti
* NYC Councilman Dan R. Garodnick (Manhattan/4th District)
* Yetta Kurland, openly-Gay City Council candidate (G-Village, Chelsea, Clinton - Manh./3rd)
* NYS Assemblyman Hakeem S. Jeffries
* Village Independent Democrats, William Stricklin, VID President
* Maria Estevez, Americams With Disabilite
* Pete J. Gleason, Council candidate (Lower Manhattan, SoHo, Little Italy, BPC - Manh./1st)
* N.Y.S. Assemblyman Jonathan L. Bing
* Bella Abzug Leadership Institute (BALI), Pam L. Elam
* Dennis Cooper of SVA sponsor Proofreaders Unlimited
* Human Rights Campaign
* Carl Manzano of the Midtown Democratic Association
* The New York Blade
* NYS Senator Daniel L. Squadron
* Gay Officers' Action League, Det. Alice J. Munoz, GOAL President
Closing "Stonewall 40" Speaker:
Karen S. Burstein, former NYS Senator, NYC Family Judge and NYS Attorney General Nominee
Other Conference Features:
* Stonewall Cops: Original
NYCPD Sixth Precinct police officers who were on duty any of
the nights or subsequent evenings of the
Stonewall Rebellion -- will be present for a half-hour panel
presentation.
* Supreme Display:: Motown book author Peter Benjaminson of NYC,
"The Lost Supreme: Florence Ballard", will have a picture
display on Supreme Florence Ballard. Mr. Benjamison's new book is for sale
and signed by the author for a special Supreme-buy Stonewall-40 price
of $19.69!
* Special Tribute - Michael Jackson:
Singing star at The Stonewall Inn in its popular jukebox before
he evolved into a world superstar. Songs at Stonewall were "I
Want U Back" and "Who's Lovin' You".
* Sandy Rapp: A
close friend of the legendary Congressmember Bella Abzug, is a
Stonewall Era folk
singer who performed mainly in Gay bars in Manhattan.
She will perform her self-penned 1970s camp hit
"Everybody Was At Stonewall" (ha-ha) and her favorite song for Bella Abzug named "Marlene".
* "Stonewall Car": On
display out-front of The Center is the fabulous and
famous 1969 blue Cadillac DeVille "Stonewall Car" convertible.
It is also the 40th milestone anniversary of the Car!
* Gay Rainbow Balloons
will fill the festive air! The colorful balloons will be
red, pink and blue! Feel free to bring your own colorful balloons
to add to the festive Gay party atmosphere!
Additional 411:
The venue is
enlarged
to the Center Auditorium (on the top floor) of the Gay, Lesbian, Bi and Transgender Center
at 212 West 13 Street between Seventh Avenue
and Greenwich Avenue in Manhattan, New York.
Subways nearby are the #1, #2, #3, A, B, C, D, E, F and Q to the 14th Street stations.
This year's annual S.V.A. happening explodes a
spark earlier @ 4 p.m.
and is expanded to 7 p.m. For any questions, please phone the S.V.A.'s assistant AnDre C
at (212) 6-27-1969 (24/7/365). The entire
STONEWALL Veterans' Association "SVA Conference &
Reunion" event shall be filmed!
Media:
We are only listing double-confirmed media: Television
- Fox 5 New York and New York 1 News. Print - New York Post
(#1 mainstream) and The New York Blade (NYC's only Gay-owned paper).
Admission:
You must sign the "S.V.A. Guest Book" -- replicating the policy at
the original Stonewall Inn. You may add your phone number and/or
e-mail address if you choose. The admission fee is minimum
$3 just like at the original Stonewall!
Invitation: To answer many querries, you do not have to be a member or supporter of the S.V.A. to attend!
*June 27th* -- 40th ANNY of the 1969 STONEWALL REBELLION
The most important date in Gay history is "June 27th". It is akin to "July 4th" in American history!
Friday, June 26 -- WEBSITE of S.V.A. SCORES OVER 70,000 RECORD-BREAKING VISITS
Today is the second-highest amount of website visits to SVA in its dozen years on line!
Friday, June 26 -- WORLD MOURNS SUDDEN LOSS of GREAT and GAY ENTERTAINER MICHAEL JACKSON
Thursday, June 25 -- SVA WEBSITE HITS HIGHEST of YEAR: OVER 51,000 VISITS
Approaching the eve of the much-anticipated 40th
anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion and, now, combined with the far
greater Gay-related sad event of the sudden death of international
singing superstar Michael Jackson, sky-rocketed the SVA website
visits to 51,145 today.
Thursday, June 25 -- STONEWALL PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
This is an exhibition of great photos over the years by Suzanne
Poli of Greenwich Village. Yes, you will see the
photogenic "Stonewall Car". Exhibition at The Chair &
The Maiden Gallery at 19 Christopher Street between Greenwich
Avenue and Waverly Place -- the block before The Stonewall Inn -- in
the heart of Gay Greenwich Village.
The exhibiton is from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Phone: (212)
255-0562.
Thursday, June 25 -- MICHAEL JACKSON, INTERNATIONAL GAY SUPERSTAR and STONEWALL LEGEND DIES SUDDENLY
Michael Jackson: "Front & Center" for 45 of his 50 famous and incredible years
Shocking is the single word on the loss of the World's
greatest entertainer in history! It makes you want to "Scream" (a
MJ single record)! Yes, as many of you know, Michael Jackson & The Jackson 5
were in the Stonewall Jukebox 40 years ago in 1969 with their huge worldwide #1 Motown hit "I
Want You Back". Ironic, a Gay understatement, that 40 years ago Judy Garland
died suddenly ultimately inspiring the Stonewall Rebellion after NYC
cops raided the Gay Stonewall Inn the night of Judy's funeral
in Manhattan, the same town as The Stonewall, and, now exactly 40
years later, celebrating that historic rebellion, Michael Jackson
shockingly passes from this world during Gay Pride Week!
For Michael Jackson's long-published Stonewall musical
history, please visit:
www.STONEWALLvets.org/songsofStonewall-5.htm.
Thursday, June 25 -- WILLIAMSON HENDERSON INTERVIEWED by CABLE NEWS NETWORK (CNN)
When the interesting and amicable interviewed started at
approxinmately 6 p.m. (EST) about the Stonewall Era and the Stonewall
Rebellion.......
Wednesday, June 24 -- 4-DAY STREAK with S.V.A. WEB VISITS at ABOUT 35,000 TODAY
It's Gay Pride Week throughout the World for sure! If
we did not already know it, you would know from the greatly increased
demand for information and photographs from the S.V.A. website.
Today's visits scored a whopping 34,865!
Wednesday, June 24 -- S.V.A. with EVENT ADS in SEVERAL NEWSPAPERS
Besides several commercial Manhattan newspapers such as New York Press, West Side Spirit, Our Town, Clinton-Chelsea News and
The Westsider, you can read S.V.A. event information in New York City's
oinly Gay-owned and reputable newspaper The New York Blade!
(These are all non-discriminatory, equal opportunity and
reputable periodicals unlike the disreputable Gayragpaper City News!)
If
you did not pick up a copy of the Gay Pride issue of The Blade, visit:
www.NYBlade.com
Tuesday, June 23 -- SVA WEBSITE SCORES ANOTHER 30,000 VERIFIED VISITS
Tuesday, June 23 (eve) -- MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG'S GAY PRIDE CELEBRATION
Celebrating the special 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion as the theme, this is Mayor Michael Bloomberg's
eighth "Gay Pride Celebration & Party" at Gracie Mansion! The Mayor
acknowledges the STONEWALL Veterans' Association from the stage.
The S.V.A. is the only GLBT organization that supported him for mayor in 2001! Representing the SVA are Williamson Henderson, Storme, Leigh McManus and his B/F Benson, Keith Lonesome, Ruthybird and Jeremiah in addition to SVA Legal Counsel Hal Weiner, SVA Manager Dennis Cooper, SVA Internet Provider Andrew Coren, SVA Webmistress Babsala Lynne and SVA Webscanner Petie Lyndon plus Youth-4-SVA's Alysin Trani, Gina Wright and AnDre C! With
eight Gay Pride celebrations under his mayoral belt, we look forward to
four more by Mayor Michael at Gracie Mansion!!!!
Monday, June 22 -- GAY PRIDE WEEK BLASTS OFF at S.V.A. with 38,000 WEBSITE VISITS
The S.V.A. is not into statistics, as you can imagine; however, our stats are something to behold. Today's verified visits leaped to 38,140. The
"Spirit of Stonewall" is in strong force for SW-40. One of
the all-time most popular webfiles at the S.V.A. is the 1969
"Stonewall Car". To view it, visit: www.STONEWALLvets.org/StonewallCar.htm
Monday, June 22 (eve/night) -- KING STORME DeLARVERIE at the MAYLES CINEMA
Storme DeLarverie, the S.V.A. Ambassador is featured on
film and presented in person. From Friday, June 19th through
Saturday, June 27th, the Mayles Cinema presents "Homo-Harlem:
A Film Retrospective", curated by Michael Henry Adams. In
honor of the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion and the Gay
rights movement, we celebrate the cinematic representation of Gay life
and culture in Black America's fabled homeland -- Harlem -- with this
prescient series. "Homo-Harlem" is co-sponsored by Men of All
Colors Together, Gay Black Cinema and Harlem One Stop. On
Monday, June 22nd @ 7 p.m., the super special selection is "Storme: Lady of the Jewel Box".
It is directed by Michelle Parkerson from 1987 (and
runs 21 minutes). "It ain't easy...being green" is the
favorite expression of Storme DeLarverie, a biological woman whose life
flouted prescriptions of gender and race. During the 1950s and
1960s Storme toured the black theatre circuit as a 'mistress of
ceremonies' (dressed as a man in top hat and tails and baton) and the
sole male impersonator of the legendary Jewel Box Revue ("JBR").
The JBR was America's first integrated female impersonation
show and forerunner of the "La Cage aux Folles" musicals and
movies. Storme emerges as a remarkable person, who came up
during very hard times but always "kept a touch of class". Storme
was also a witness to and then a participant in the Stonewall
Rebellion 40 years ago. Soon after, Storme was a founding
member of the STONEWALL Veterans Association of the historic
uprising. Special feature: "Q&A" with the legendary
Storme DeLarverie! There will be a party after the Storme
festivities. ($10 fee)
Monday, June 22 (evening) -- THE GLBT CENTER'S 26th ANNUAL "GARDEN PARTY"
What was once a "garden party" effect when it was held on the
street in front of what was called the Gay & Lesbian Center is
now a big event. The S.V.A. will have a display table with
literature and staffed
by actual Stonewallers!
Come say "Howdy Doody" and support the
S.V.A.! The four-hour event is from 6 to 10 p.m. The happening is held at
Hudson River Park, Pier 54, at the end of West 14th Street at the West Side Drive.
For more 411, visit the GLBT
Center at: www.GayCenter.org.
Monday, June 22 -- 40th ANNIVERSARY of SAINT JUDY GARLAND
Judy Garland,
the international entertainer -- film, song and dance -- died
suddenly and young (47) on Sunday, June 22, 1969 in London. The
heartfelt reactions and emotional ramifications were worldwide!
Her very public and overflowing crowds funeral was in
Manhattan, New York, on Friday, June 27th! It certainly was not
the day to raid a Gay bar in Manhattan and harass and/or arrest its
patrons. June 27th was to become the most famous date in Gay
history. "Clang! Clang! Clang! went the Rebellion"!
Contrary to Gay-lore, Judy's songs were not in the Stonewall
jukebox -- until after she passed. But they were played
plenty until the rebellion closed up the place for a week or so!
Once re-opened, back in the Stonewall Club's new jukebox was... forever more Saint Judy!
Sunday, June 21 -- S.V.A. WEBSITE RALLIES to over 30,000 VISITS as the SW SOURCE
Sunday, June 21 (evening) -- BROADWAY PRIDE: "BROADWAY BARES 19"
The exciting 19th annual "Broadway Bares" show (and poster) is produced by and
benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. "Broadway Bares"
happens at Roseland Ballroom at 239 West 52nd Street off Eighth Avenue
in Manhattan. There are two shows: 9 p.m. and midnight, if
you bare! For more 411, visit: www.BroadwayCares.org.
Saturday, June 20 -- S.V.A. WEBSITE SURGES to over 27,000 'VERIFIED' VISITS TODAY!
So starts the "The 10 Days of Gay Pride" with the greatest source for the Stonewall Rebellion hitting over 27,000 visits from around the World! Coincidentally, "27" is the magic number for Stonewallers as the rebellion started the Friday night of the 27th of June 1969. To view the interesting S.V.A. stats, see: www.STONEWALLvets.org/stats/2009_06.html.
Saturday, June 20 (afternoon) -- STONEWALL VETS from SVA are I/V'd for THE LONDON TIMES
Friday, June 19 -- STONEWALL VETS EVENT ADVERTISED in THE NEW YORK BLADE
Like many GLBT organizations, the S.V.A. only advertises and announces
in The New York Blade, NYC's senior GLBT newspaper and only Gay-owned
periodical.
Friday, June 19 (morning) -- HEALTHY WISHES for S.V.A.'s HONORARY MALE CHAIRPERSON ED KOCH
Former Mayor Ed I. Koch has
scheduled corrective heart surgery today. In preparation, he
has been hospitalized since Monday at Columbia-Presbyterian
Hospital in Manhattan, NY. To help cheer up the
good-spirited NYC Mayor-for-Life, the S.V.A. Webmistress Babsala posted a recent photo of Mayor Ed at his webfile at the S.V.A.: www.STONEWALLVets.org/EdKoch.htm.
Thursday, June 18 -- =NEWZFLASH= "GAY PRIDE" ALSO UNLEASHES the HATERZ
Druncan Osborne of the Gay-Rag-Paper (also known as
"Gay City News and its street name "Gay Chity News")
is back in his
personal attack mode of slander, sleaze, slime and lies.
Druncan does it like a has-been, dumped, ex-wannabe spurned
spouse or a disgruntled employee!
Druncan obviously did not learn his
journalistic or ethics lessons from post-SW-30. Back
then, he solely caused the already weary GayRagPaper -- then
known as "LGBT New York" before it crash-burned and went bankrupt
-- to be sued by both prominent Stonewall veteran Williamson Henderson and the legendary STONEWALL Veterans' legendary STONEWALL Veterans' Association.
As a matter of fact, the Court decided that Williamson is so
prominent, oddly proven by public officials' letters to the S.V.A. and
addressed usually to Williamson yet provided by the GayRagPaper
(duh!) that WLH is a "public figure"!
When
the Civil Court of New York decides -- after seeing and hearing
several actual Stonewall veteran participants and/or eyewitnesses and endless documents
-- that you are a liar, as they did against
the GayRagPaper and its dubious poison-pen scripter Druncan Osborne,
any
sensible person under self control would
wave the pink flag and shut the "F" up! The Court in
'judicial
talk' concluded Druncan and, thus, the
GayRagPaper as liars multiple times. Of course, the Court doesn't
use the word 'liar', yet they use terms that intend the same
meaning.
For example: "The six days of testimony did uncover a
number of 'soft statements' in the (GayRagPaper) story". Another
conclusion by the Court was that the defendants (Druncan and the Rag)
made statements against Mr. Henderson that "had little
foundation". That can only be interpreted as "lies"!
In other words, they lied! "Little" foundation in this case
means very little! The Court went further in its exposure of
lies by Druncan: There were statements in the story (against Mr.
Henderson) which had "...no identifiable foundation" and "...where no
identifiable foundation was evident"! The English language
is marvelous how with the right words and a
highly-intelligent mind (the Judge), one (Druncan Osborne) can be
declared a liar without even having to use the word. {Stay
tuned for more.... much more. And when it gets too big for here,
we'll more it elsewhere with bigger space and bigger headlines!}
It was unequivocably established by valid testimonies that malicious
defines Druncan. He still his! During the court
proceedings, one of the GayRagpaper boys disclosed under oath naming the
person that one of the testifying S.V.A. officers has AIDS!
{Said person has since died but lived long after to see the victory over the GayRagpaper.}
Recently, Druncan has been, in effect, doing 'robo' calls to
some supporters of the S.V.A. attempting to maliciously discredit a Gay
hero (in many ways and for a long time) Williamson and, thus, trying to
undermine the entire organization. For example, Druncan has
harassed and upset, among others, Miss Susan Olmetti
who partners the Chelsea Artists every year with the S.V.A. to
benefit struggling artists. The popular host of the event is...
Williamson! Oh, we've now been advised to save the rest of the
"Druncan's victims list" for probable legal action. Although
a decade later,
it is "Stonewall 40" and that agitates some of the
Stonewall
Haterz. It does so every five-year anniversary ever since
"SW-25"!
Henceforth, the S.V.A. shall have that most impressive and clearly landmark and unprecedented 7-page
decision -- which was wholly reproduced in the New York Law Journal -- available
for distribution in its
entirety at every S.V.A. meeting, forum and event forever more! To
quote a popular Stonewall dance song "Here Comes The Judge"! And,
after Gay Pride Month is over, we may be doing a remake
of that most fitting song!
Wednesday, June 17 -- PRIDE DEMOCRATS SALUTES STONEWALL VETERANS
Special PRIDE Democrats meeting @ 8 p.m. For 411, contact PRIDE at (917) 374-9729.
Tuesday, June 16 -- SURPRISE! STONEWALL VETZ ARRIVE in EUROPE
Different contingencies of SVA-ers arrive in different cities in
Europe such as Geneva, Amsterdam and Paris ("GAP") in connection
with celebrations of
"International Stonewall 40". The purposes of these overseas
trips to GAP and elsewhere is not
souvenier collecting but to partake in and speak at Gay Pride
celebrations and Stonewall-40
commemorations. SVA-ers have been on these Euro excursions
prior yet not since "SW-30" in 1999. Many European Gay
groups will be participating. The SW-Vetz departed
from different airports from California to New York. For
sensible security and personal privacy
reasons, the S.V.A.
is not revealing the four Vetz! (One other SVA-er #5 was unable
to lift-off.)
Monday, June 15 -- ANIMATION of MOVING PIX on the S.V.A. WEBSITE
Special new feature at the S.V.A. website to commemorate
"Stonewall 40". The rotating pictures in the 'Stonewall Window"
on the S.V.A. homepage feature photos of several Stonewall veterans
from the past four decades.
Among the SW-Vetz shown are Williamson, Storme,
Jeremiah, Rev. Magora, Dave West, Ray McCaffrey, Terri Van Dyke,
China, Bill Salzman, Dianne Yodice, Jack Rojas,
Cristina Hayworth, Charles Snyder, et al. and, of course, Queen
Allyson!
Sunday, June 14 -- 52nd ANNUAL NEW YORK PUERTO RICAN DAY PARADE
Is this parade also "Gay"? Is the Pope also Catholic?
Ola! The party parade blasts off on Fifth Avenue at 44th
Street in Midtown Manhattan @ 11 a.m.
Saturday, June 13 -- S.V.A. GUEST SPEAKS at HARLEM UNITED to the YOUTH
Harlem United is
expanding and has launched the program Helping Our Men Evolve ("HOME").
Part of their reaching out for their students, interns and clients is to include Gay subjects, history and
issues. Today's SW-40 topics feature the evolving liberations of the 1960s, the exciting Stonewall Era and the historic Stonewall Rebellion.
The uprising ignited the "coming out" of Gay people to
'evolve' and be themselves! Also, what does "Gay Pride" mean
40 years later? The sole speaker is Williamson Henderson, founder of the S.V.A. Throughout the presentation, Youth-4-SVA's Gina Wright
distributes S.V.A. literature and photograph reprints. Location
is Harlem United at 104 East 126 Street (between Park and
Lexington Avenues) in Manhattan. Subways are the #4, #5
and #6 to the 125 Street station just one block away. Time is @ 3 p.m.
til 5 p.m. See their website: www.HarlemUnited.org.
Saturday, June 13 -- ORIENTATION and REGISTRATION for the GAY PARADE
Gay Pride Parade orientation, registration confirmation, group
marshal training and vehicle permits for the parade is all being
conducted today by Heritage of Pride ("HOP") at the GLBT Center @
1 p.m. Representing the S.V.A. (not as marshals) are Jeremiah Newton and Rogers Hunt with stand-by assist by AnDre C. The S.V.A.'s marshals will be two or more uniformed officers from GOAL.
Friday, June 12 -- STONEWALL VETERANS WEBSITE ACCESS is RESTORED for ALL!
The S.V.A. website only had about 50% access to
subscribers and visitors for two days; however, after restorals and
restorations, it is back to full throttle and all-access!! Happy and healthy Gay Pride!!
Wed., June 10 & Thurs., June 11 -- PROBLEM for MANY to ACCESS the S.V.A. WEBSITE
Advisory: The
S.V.A. is aware that many people --
several thousand -- could not access the S.V.A. website today.
Erroneous messages complicated the situation.
Several experts at our Internet Provider have checked the
S.V.A. website and
verified that it is actually clear and fine. So, the programmers,
et al.
will investigate it on Thursday. We only became aware late night
when we observed that our daily website statistics suddenly
dropped by
50% -- during Gay Pride Month -- when they always go
up!
Update: The source of the problem (on another continent) has been identified and the site being fixed!
Suggestion:
Do not use goo-goo "Google"! Only Google has not
caught up with the current corrected status of the S.V.A. website.
Only the big "G" picked up on an erroreous status report in the
first place. If you must use an internet 'search engine',
rely on ones which are 'current' and that you can readily communicate
with, namely "All The Web", "Ask" or "Alta Vista" -- and that's just with the "A"'s!!!
Tuesday, June 9 -- STONEWALL VETS GUEST at GOAL MEETING
On Gay Officers' Action League ("GOAL")'s special agenda is
their planned "Stonewall-40" conference featuring Stonewall
Copz and Stonewall Vetz. This segment will instead be
presented at the S.V.A.'s conference on June 27th with all GOALers
invited! Flashing back in time, some of the Gays vs. cops
history is explained. Many of the GOALers know it all too well.
Williamson Henderson is the chief speaker. Also on the agenda is the
involvement and assistance of GOAL with the S.V.A. for the NYC Gay
Pride Parade celebrating SW-40. It started, of course, with
Gays vs. the Police (the latter gayly known then as
"Alice")! The GOAL meeting is
at the GLBT Center in Room 410 @ 8 p.m.
Monday, June 8 -- HERITAGE of GAY PRIDE MEETING
Members of the S.V.A. events committee will be present at the HOP
meeting to iron out final wrinkles in parade planning vis-a-vis the
Stonewall veterans. Representing the S.V.A. are Jeremiah Newton, Ruthybird Campbell and Rogers Hunt. Discussions start at the GLBT Center @ 8 p.m..
Sunday, June 7 -- SPECIAL STONEWALL SALUTE to JUDGE LESLIE C. SNYDER
The STONEWALL Veterans' Association ("SVA") has been invited -- including by a personal call from Judge Leslie Snyder,
an SVA supporter -- to the opening of her new Manhattan District
Attorney campaign headquarters in Midtown Manhattan. The other "Stonewall" name
connection is that Judge Leslie won the landslide endorsement for
Manhattan D/A from the Stonewall Democratic Club! There will
be a special "First Sunday in June" surprise for the Stonewall
veterans! Representing the S.V.A. are Williamson Henderson, Storme DeLarverie, Leigh McManus, his B/F Benson plus Youth-4-SVA's Gina Wright and AnDre C. Rep'ing PRIDE Dems is Marlon Hunter and Steven Gradman. The event happens at the Midtown Democratic Association
("MDA") headquarters at 321 West 44th Street between Eighth and Ninth
Avenues in the Clinton section of Manhattan. Leslie has also
been endorsed by the MDA. The gavel strikes today @ 4 p.m.
Please rsvp to: WilliamStricklin@hotmail.com.
Saturday, June 6 -- STONEWALL VETERANS SPEAK via LaGUARDIA HIGH SCHOOL
Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion,
this is one of many high schools and cxolleges which have requested
Stonewall veterans to speak about the Stonewall Era and the Stonewall
Rebellion. Event location is at the New York Historical Society
located on Central Park West at West 77th Street in Manhattan,
N.Y. The forum is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.
We are all so very impressed with your outstanding Stonewall website.
I've been involved with a major Federal grant focused on curriculum
development, education and outreach for high school American history
teachers since 2006. This grant funds opportunities for teachers through
the New York Historical Society, and has empowered teachers to take part
in diverse experiences. The educators that are involved in these workshops
are all exemplary New York City teachers working in a wide variety of high
schools across the 5 boroughs of the city.
I am organizing and teaching a mini-seminar on the Stonewall Rebellion
and GLBTQ activism since the 1960s. As a Global Studies and American
history teacher at LaGuardia High School in Manhattan and a teacher at
the Harvey Milk High School from 2003 to 2007, I have found that while
students may learn about American civil rights movements, the pivotal
nature of Stonewall and the importance of GLBTQ actvism frequently is
overlooked in most high school history curricula across the city. This
seminar will help address this shortcoming with a group of 15 teachers.
My goal is to bring together a panel of five GLBTQ activists, ideally, who
either experienced events at Stonewall or who have been noteworthy
contributors and supporters of community activism in the years since
Stonewall. These individuals would participate in a panel discussion at
the New York Historical Society between 10 am and 12 pm on Saturday, the
6th of June, 2009. Panel participants would hopefully be able to share their
personal experiences and insight into their lives as both GLBTQ individuals
and activists, solidifying the importance of the very personal and ongoing
struggle for civil rights for GLBTQ people for a group of NYC teachers.
While I would really welcome the participation of any member of your
organization, I am aware that you may already have plans for this Saturday
morning. Any assistance you would be able to give in providing Stonewall
veteran participants in the panel would be greatly appreciated.
Hope you in the SVA are well and enjoying the beautiful weather this week!
Best,
LaGuardia High School
American History Department
100 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, New York
Thursday, June 4 -- RETURN of THE DEADLY NIGHTSHADE
If you don't know who The Deadly Nightshade ("TDN") is, ask Mary... Mary Hartman!
The all-Gay female trio is a mixed bag of rock, disco and country. Helen Hooke, Anne Bowen and Pamela Brandt reunited several years ago to get TDN back touring. Their show is at The Bitter End at 149 Bleecker Street (between
Thompson Street and LaGuardia Place) in Greenwich Village. The Bitter End is known for its legendary
artists and, ironically, its famous brick wall! Opening
song is
@ 8 p.m.
Traveling by subway is the A, B, C, D, E or F to West 4th
Street Station or the local Lexington line #6 to Bleecker Street. Telephone number for the nightclub is (212)
673-7030. Ask for Mary!
Wednesday, June 3 -- INTERVIEWS of VETERANS of the STONEWALL REBELLION
The S.V.A. holds a news press conference regarding "SW-40" to present a synopsis
of the Stonewall Era, the Stonewall Club, the Stonewall People and the
Stonewall Rebellion. It condenses several of
the requested S.V.A. interviews. Time is @
6 p.m. Location is available only by confirming with the S.V.A.'s AnDre C at (212) 6-27-1969. Update: This event has maxed out with mainstream press and magazines and approved reporters from universitries!
Tuesday, June 2 -- HEADLIGHTS: "STONEWALL CAR" in CADILLAC NEWSLETTER
To commemorate "Stonewall 40", there is a timely story
on the famous 1969 Cadillac "Stonewall Car"! Remember, it is
also the 40th anniversary of the "Stonewall Car"! To view the
"SW-Car" file and access the story link, go to: www.STONEWALLvets.org/StonewallCar.htm.
June 2008 -- GAY PRIDE MONTH 2009 and 40th ANNIVERSARY of "STONEWALL"
Sunday, May 31 -- END of a LIFELONG VOYAGE: MILLVINA DEAN
"The Titanic" only had one remaining survivor until
today. Millvina Dean died at the grand age of 97 in Southampton,
England -- the city from where the famous ship Titanic was launched.
Never married, Miss Dean was the youngest passenger on the
ill-fated ship on April 15, 1912. This historic story has
worldwide appeal yet the analogy to Stonewall is that we, too,
have survivors and one day there will only be one before none!
Saturday, May 30 -- STONEWALL VETS ASSOCIATION MONTHLY MEETING
Printed S.V.A. agenda highlighting "Stonewall 40" events
is distributed at the meeting at the GLBT Center @ 4:15 p.m. To be added to the
agenda, please contact Andre C at (212) 6-27-1969.
Special Supreme Guest Speaker: Peter Benjaminson, author of the new book, "The Lost Supreme: The Life of Dreamgirl Florence Ballard".
Indeed, "Flo" was actually interviewed at length
by "Peterson". On the eve of Gay Pride Month and the 40th
anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, it is a supreme opportunity and
most appropriate to have an author-led discussion about the most
popular singing artist at The Stonewall (1966 to 1969): The Supremes!!!
By year's end, 1969 was also the year that Diana Ross &
The Supremes had their last single before their two-for-one stock
split. There will be a display table for "The Lost Supreme" and the book available for purchase ($19.69) and personally signed by the author!
Political guest is openly-Strait City Council candidate Pete J. Gleason for the 1st District in
Manhattan including Lower Manhattan, City Hall Area, Chinatown,
Battery Park City (BPC), Little Italy, SoHo and NoHo. Pete
was recently GLBT community helpful in dealing with parade negotiations
with HOP.
Monday, May 25 -- AMERICAN MEMORIAL DAY... A DAY of REMEMBRANCE
The purpose of Memorial Day is to remember those we knew,
such as many fathers of Stonewall Vetz, who were veterans of American
combat duty to keep our country free. The S.V.A. takes this
day of remembrance to recall our Stonewall Era and Stonewall Rebellion veterans who we have lost
over the years, particularly to the AIDS War.
Thursday, May 21 -- PRE-STONEWALL-40 INTERVIEWS from 5 CONTINENTS
The S.V.A. has not and does not announce all of its
interviews;
however, today was unusual as it is not even Gay Pride Month and
we
had media calls from five different continents namely North
America (Maine), Europe (Amsterdam), South America (Brazil),
Australia
and Asia (Taiwan)! Interestingly, only one of the newspapers is
Gay: good-day "Out In Perth".
Tuesday, May 19 -- S.V.A. VETZ INTERVIEWED by THE DALLAS VOICE
A newspaper in Texas decided to interview S.V.A.
about "Stonewall 40" thanks to our many supporters throughout
Texas who suggested it! SW-Vetz interviewed include Brooke Lynn (the name says the location), John Diehl (San Diego), Ruthybird (Birdland), Peter Friske (Frisco) and Storme (Chelsea).
Monday, May 18 -- S.V.A. SOCIAL COMMITTEE at THE STONEWALL INN
S.V.A.'s social committee are meeting at The Stonewall Inn regarding the
S.V.A. anniversary party at the end of June at -- where else --
The Stonewall! Gathering is @ 7 p.m. For more 411, call SVA-er Ruthybird at (347) 404-4427 or Steven Gee at (917) 374-9729.
Sunday, May 17 -- AIDS WALK NEW YORK
The annual fund-raisng and awareness walk for AIDS starts very
early @ 8:30 a.m at Central Park at the Eighth Avenue and West 59th
Street entrance at Columbus Circle in Manhattan. Visit: www.AIDSwalk.org
Wednesday, May 13 -- S.V.A. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE DINNER
This is an S.V.A. Executive Committee dinner meeting. Pre-pride/pre-dinner drinx 'toast' @ 6:15 p.m. at The Village
Restaurant in Greenwich Village, N.Y. Discussions and dinner is hosted by Williamson Henderson. Special guest is supporter Carl Manzano, head of the Midtown Democratic Association. For S.V.A. E/C
members (only), call Andre C on his cellphone for more 411. If you
don't have it, your dues are OD! See: www.VillageRestaurant.com.
Tuesday, May 12 -- GAY MARRIAGE APPROVED by NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
"From Stonewall to State": The Assembly of New York State has
passed the Gay Marriage Bill by a whopping 89 to 52 bipartisan vote! Contrary to revisionists, the Gay
Marriage movement did not start with any of the suit-wearing,
bureaucratic, new millennium GLBT groups but in the secondary nights of the 1969 Stonewall
Rebellion with hand-printed signs that read: "Gay Marriage".
(FYI, no one wore a suit.) The other half of the gold ring
coin is that the N.Y.S. Senate must also approve the proposed law.
The time is most appropriate with the forthcoming 40th
anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion!
Monday, May 11 -- HERITAGE OF PRIDE (HOP) PRE-PRIDE PLANNING MEETING
To follow-up on the attendance of HOP at the recent
S.V.A.
meeting, this gathering will have the input from S.V.A.
for the planning of the STONEWALL Veterans' Association
in the "40th annual NYC Gay Pride Parade".
The S.V.A. is represented tonight by its Legal Counsel Hal M. Weiner, City Council candidates Yetta Kurland (and girls) and Pete Gleason (and women), S.V.A. Executive Committee member Ruthybird Campbell, S.V.A. Webmaster Rogers Hunt and Youth-4-SVA (his mother's health permitting) AnDre C. In addition, Det. Timothy Duffy of GOAL, recently at the S.V.A. meeting, who
is overseeing matters. HOP meeting is at the GLBT
Center @ 8 p.m. For direx, etc. visit: www.GayCenter.org.
Sunday, May 10 -- MOTHER'S DAY: DEDICATED to the SURVIVING STONEWALL MOTHERS
Thursday, May 7 (evening) -- VILLAGE INDEPENDENT DEMOCRATS AWARDS GALA
The Village Independent Democrats ("VID"), centered in Greenwich Village, N.Y., holds its 52nd annual event! The Public School Parents Advocacy Committee ("PSPCA") is honored. With the forthcoming 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, the S.V.A.'s Williamson Henderson is scheduled to speak on the historic uprising which ignited here in
Greenwich Village! Confirmed to attend are openly-Gay N.Y.S. Senator Tom Duane and Assemblymember Jonathan Bing plus local City Council candidates Yetta Kurland (West Village) and Pete Gleason (East Village). Flocking the S.V.A. contingency is Ruthybird Campbell.
The gala is $125 per individual as a fund-raiser for VID. For
the first time it is being held at the Gay, Lesbian, Bi &
Transgender (GLBT) Community Center. The top-floor auditorium gets
converted into an atmospheric restaurant. Affair begins @ 6
p.m.
Thursday, May 7 (afternoon) -- S.V.A. BUSINESS SUPPER with PRIME SPONSOR
The business sponsor is an international mobile 'apps' provider. On behalf of the sponsor is Miss Ellie, an innovative business delight. Williamson Henderson and Rogers Hunt are representing the S.V.A. The supper breaks bread @ 4 p.m.
at Bruxelles Restaurant on Greenwich Avenue in Manhattan.
Saturday, May 2 -- S.V.A. WEBSITE HITS PRE-PRIDE MILESTONE
For the first weekend of the pre-Gay Pride Season,
the S.V.A. website hit, ironically, about 27,000 verified visits
today! The S.V.A.'s symbolic number is "27" from the first night
(yes, there were more than one) of the Stonewall Rebellion back 40 years ago in late June on the 27th!
Saturday, May 2, 2009 -- S.V.A. AMBASSADRESS JACKIE BARRETT'S BIRTHDAY
Thursday, April 30 -- MAYOR ED KOCH is GUEST at NEW YORK CIVIC
For those newbies who may wonder why would the S.V.A. be
involved with a New York Civic event and vice versa? Firstly,
Mayor Ed Koch is the Honorary
Male Chair of the S.V.A. and is the special guest of this N.Y. Civic
benefit.
Secondly, in the bigger picture, the S.V.A. has fought for
accuracy and details in government reporting and that is exactly
what New York Civic does -- and does it well and with a dash of
spice! Closing guest speaker is Congressman Anthony Weiner. The private party at The Corinthian at 330 East 38th
Street schmoozes @ 5:45 p.m. To r.s.v.p., e-mail Commissioner (and host) Henry J. Stern at StarQuest@NYCivic.org or phone Leroi Bean at (212) 564-4441. For more 411 on New York Civic, visit their website at: www.NYCivic.org
Monday, April 27 and Tuesday, April 28 -- BROADWAY CARES 23rd ANNUAL "EASTER BONNET COMPETITION"
This is the 23rd annual Easter-inspired benefit show for Broadway Cares! It
is a creative competition amongst Broadway, off-Broadway and American touring company shows with their mini-Broadway
spectacular song and/or dance productions culminating
in hand-crafted presentations of a beautiful, sometimes
electrifying, usually over-the-top Easter bonnet! Competing
shows include: "33 Variations with Jane Fonda", "August", "Avenue
Q", "Billy Elliot", "Blythe
Spirit", "Chicago", "Guys And Dolls", "Hair", "In The Heights",
"Jersey
Boys", "Mamma Mia", "Mary Poppins", "Reasons To Be Pretty", "Rock
Of Ages", "Shrek The Musical", "The Lion King", "The Little
Mermaid", "The Phantom Of The Opera", "The Story Of My Life", "West
Side Story" and "Wicked". Special appearances include three Gay-favorite Academy Award-winning actresses Jane Fonda, Liza Minnelli and Susan Sarandon. In fact, one of them will perform "NY, NY"! Heading up the S.V.A. support delegation is Williamson Henderson. They are attending on Tuesday @ 2 p.m. Venue is the Minskoff Theater at 200 West 45 Street, a stone's throw from
Broadway.
Visit Broadway Cares at: www.BCEFA.org.
Sunday, April 26 -- SPECIAL STONEWALL INTERVIEWS
Saturday, April 25 -- MONTHLY MEETING of the STONEWALL VETZ
Stonewall reports by Williamson Henderson, Elizabeth Liberty, Jeremiah Newton, Storme DeLarverie and Ruthybird Campbell. One of the chief topics -- out of 40 agenda
items -- is the NYC Gay Pride
Parade vis-a-vis the S.V.A., the SW-Car, the SW-Vetz and their
special guests. The Gay Officers' Action League is having one of their officers to coordinate a GOAL and S.V.A. "Stonewall 40" conference at John Jay College. A rep from Heritage of Pride's parade
committee namely Maurice Michaane is scheduled. Issues
include the S.V.A.'s parade positioning in the "lead" section
and HOP's queer idea that a HOP-er drive the famous 1969 "Stonewall Car" in the parade?
Never! The car is only driven by an SVA-er, an S.V.A. paid staffer or a GOAL police
officer (as was occasioned for some GOAL/SVA events).
S.V.A. guest speaker is New York City Council candidate openly-Gay Yetta Kurland in the 3rd Council District (Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Clinton). Also attending are openly-Strait Pete Gleason,
a candidate from the 1st District (Lower Manhattan,
Chinatown). There will be a representative from
Councilmember Alan Gerson. This S.V.A. Executive Committee-style meeting with a huge conference table is in the Assembly Hall at
the GLBT Center on West 13 Street off Seventh Avenue in Manhattan @
4:15 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. For more 411, call AnDre C at the S.V.A. at (212)
6-27-1969.
Outdoor dinner after the meeting is at Manatus Restaurant on Bleecker Street in The Village @ 7 p.m.
Monday, April 20 -- GAY ACTIVISM: From STONEWALL to TODAY
This event about the history of Gay activism from the
Stonewall Rebellion to the present is co-sponsored by The Center.
The S.V.A. is represented! Special stop-in by Council candidate Yetta! S.V.A. literature is
available. The forum happens at the New York City GLBT
Center @
6:30 p.m and is scheduled til 9 p.m. For more 411, see
events at: www.GayCenter.org
Thursday, April 16 -- VID POLITICAL CANDIDATES FORUM, Part II
The Village Independent Democrats ("VID") hosts part two of their candidates' forum. There is an encore by Councilman John C. Liu for NYC Comptroller, who didn't speak at VID
last time due to a building curfew. For NYC Public Advocate this evening are Brooklyn Councilman Bill de
Blasio, civil rights attorney Norman H. Siegel and Councilmember Eric N. Goya (from Queens).
For his reelection effort, Scott Stringer speaks as Manhattan Beep. There will be a couple of non-SVA supportive mayoral contenders namely City Comptroller Bill Thompson and Councilman Tony Avella from Queens. Also attending is openly-Gay Council candidate (3rd District) Yetta Kurland to follow-up to her recent successful forum speaking at VID. Event
is hosted by openly-Gay District Leader Brad Hoylman and Female District Leader Keen Berger. The S.V.A. reps are Williamson Henderson and Elizabeth L. Smith. Location is
at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in the Bowery at Second Avenue and
East 11 Street in Manhattan @ 8 p.m.
Wednesday, April 8 -- NYC & CO. "STONEWALL" PROMOTION -- BUT without ANY STONEWALLERS
After being queeried, New York City & Company ("NYC & Co.)
admitted to the S.V.A. that they should have included the
STONEWALL Veterans' Association in their "NYC Pride Week" promotions
last year... but they promised to do so in 2009!?
They pledged this in person -- and exchanged business cards -- at last year's Gay Pride celebration hosted by Mayor Michael Bloomberg at Gracie Mansion. Instead,
NYC & Company failed to abide by their pledge and, moreover,
although they know better, act like all of the Stonewall veterans do
not exist! What "pride in the city"!? Rather than
interview actual Gay veterans of the Stonewall Club and/or the
Stonewall Rebellion, they would rather have Qwiss Qwinn at their press
conference -- someone who was in diapers at the time of the
historic uprising. And, someone who routinely refers to Gay
people only as a cold acronym "LGBT" rather than as a people with
a name! FYI, the historically accurate line-up is "GLBT". She
also wrongly (like some others) refers to the uprising as a 'riot'. If
she was ever at an S.V.A. meeting or a Stonewall veterans
forum or read President Bill Clinton's proclamation making
"Stonewall" a national historic site, she'd know better; she
hasn't and she doesn't. Or, perhaps read The New York Times.
They, and any intellectual, honest and respectful
publication (not the Gayragpaper), never undermined the civil
rights Stonewallers with the
criminalized term of 'riots' -- thus 'rioters'. That includes the
NYX's Stonewall tourism article today!
Now, NYC & Co. is spending millions of dollars advertising -- yet
no ad with the S.V.A. -- to Gay
travelers to come to New York City to the Stonewall Club but not
the Stonewall People. After all, the surviving Stonewall vets do
meet monthly at the GLBT Community Center. The S.V.A.
sponsors an annual Stonewall event on Gay
Pride Weekend -- Saturday, June 27th -- which features a "questions and answers" session, a reunion
of
Stonewall vets and a "meet and greet". Queerly, NYC &
Co. promotes visiting The
Center but not the Stonewallers that meet there! Pride?
Their website is flawed from its first word, i.e., acronym,
"LGBT" (incorrect revisionist term) and then neglectfully
does not define it (even once). Is there
anyone in the
world who wrongly thinks that everyone knows what "LGBT" is?
Since their thrust is supposed to be Gay history in
New York, when the history was made, no one used an acronym to describe
our people much less a worldwide civil rights movement!
Monday, April 6 -- POLITICAL REPORTER REVIEWS GAY CANDIDATES at VID FORUM
Political and lifestyle Manhattan reporter Steven De Castro reviews the interesting VID candidates forum focusing on two Gay women -- Qwiss Qwinn and Yetta Kurland -- vying for the 3rd Council District (Greenwich Village, Chelsea,
Clinton) seat. To read the issue-by-issue analytical article:
http://www.tenantplanet.org/2009/04/05/christine-quinn-explains-her-term-limits-vote-to-a-skeptical-audience/
Thursday, April 2, 2009 - VILLAGE INDEPENDENT DEMOCRATS CANDIDATES' FORUM
This is part 1 of the Village Independent Democrats ("VID") Candidates Forum.
Confirmed candidates include: S.V.A. supporters Judge Leslie
Snyder (Manhattan D.A.), Councilman John Liu (NYC Comptroller), Alan Gerson (NYC Council #1
re-election), Councilwoman Melinda Katz (Comptroller) and Rosie
Mendez (Council #2
re-election). And, non-SVA supporters such as the two Brooklyn Davids -- Weprin and Yassky -- (both for Comptroller)
and Qwiss Qwinn (District #3). Also, Council candidates openly-Gay Yetta Kurland (vs. QQ in the 3rd District), Pete Gleason (1st Dist. vs. Gersy) and Margaret Chin (1st). We
do not expect GLBT people, especially, to support
candidates who are not supportive of the S.V.A. "1st things
1st!" Event directed by vivacious VID President William Stricklin.
Contenders speak from 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
The forum
is at
St. Luke in The Field Catholic School at 487 Hudson Street near
Grove Street just off openly-Gay
Christopher Street in Greenwich Village.
Saturday, March 28 -- S.V.A. MONTHLY MEETING at the GLBT CENTER
This month's S.V.A. meeting is co-chaired by members of the S.V.A. Executive Committee. The meeting
at the GLBT Center is in the stair-cased and spacious Gallery Room
(310) from 4:15 p.m. to 6 p.m. Call the S.V.A. at (212) 6-27-1969 to have an item on the printed agenda.
Thursday, March 26 -- SUPREME DIVA DIANA ROSS' BIRTHDAY
Diana Ross's songs with
The Supremes at the original Stonewall Club include: "You Keep Me
Hangin' On", "No Matter What Sign You Are", "You Can't Hurry Love",
"Love Child", "There's No Stopping Us Now", "I'm Living In Shame",
"Reflections", "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" and "My World Is Empty
Without You" among many others. You bet we wish a Supreme Stonewall birthday to
Diana!
Wednesday, March 25 -- ORIGINAL STONEWALL SONGS on "AMERICAN IDOL"
The #1 show "American Idol" salutes Motown on its 50th anniversary
tonight. Some songs popular at the original Stonewall Club
scheduled
to be performed include "You Can't Hurry Love" (sung by a male
contestant), "For Once In My Life" (sung by a female), "Ain't Too Proud
To Beg", "Ooh, Baby,
Baby" and the perennial dance favorite "Heat Wave" --
which renewed its popularity as the campy dance
number in "The Boys In The Band" play (1968) and movie
(1970). Showtime on N.Y. Fox t.v. network is from
8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday, March 22 -- 2nd DAY of NEW YORK GAY BIZ EXPO
For more 411 on the expo, visit: www.STONEWALLvets.org/GayBizExpo.htm.
Saturday, March 21 -- NEW YORK GAY BUSINESS EXPO
This is the 16th annual New York Gay Business Expo & Entertainment
Festival. The expo is at the New York City Convention Center
on
Eleventh Avenue from West 36th to West 39th Streets in Manhattan.
The
opening day Saturday is from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Friday, March 20 -- OFFICIAL MEETING with MAYOR ED KOCH
One of the topics is "Stonewall 40". WLH formally invites former
NYC Mayor EIK to appropriately be the Special Male Guest of the S.V.A.
leading the 40th annual NYC Gay Pride Parade. The meeting is
confirmed for 2:45 p.m. at Mayor Koch's office on Avenue of the
Americas in Midtown Manhattan.
Wednesday, March 18 -- S.V.A. RECEIVES ITS FIRST "STONEWALL 40" LETTER
New York State Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo
("AMC") delivered the very first congratulatory and praise letter
of this historically significant season of "Stonewall 40" to the
STONEWALL Veterans' Association! A comprehensive and poignant
tribute letter, AMC declared:
"This outstanding group, the
STONEWALL Veterans' Association, has been at the forefront of combating
discrimination and encouraging tolerance, diversity and equality
through its commitment to education, community-building, support,
communication and outreach. As always, I am honored to have this
opportunity to commend the outstanding individuals who have worked with
the S.V.A. over the past 40 years."
It must
be noted that the letter was sincerely written without being asked -- just like the
rebellion itself!
Tuesday, March 17 -- NEW YORK ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE
Let's celebrate the Irish in the big "New York, New York" way!
Gay people have been marching in this historic and huge parade
for nearly 250 years since the very first St. Patrick's Parade in
1762 (when the States weren't United).
Although Gays cannot march as 'bannered' groups, hey, we don't
want
the bigotted Ancient Order of Hybernians marching as a group in our Gay Pride
parades either! This is a practical and sensible reaction;
banning the entire parade and missing all the fun is not! Parade
blasts off on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street @ 11 a.m. Wear
something green -- or rainbow! For more 411, visit: www.SaintPatricksDayParade.com and/or www.NYCtourist.com/info_StPats.htm
Monday, March 9 -- ABC-TV DAYTIME STARS SALUTE BROADWAY CARES
Show participants are "All My Children" and "General Hospital" and "One
Life To Live". This annual ABC-TV daytime show stars
salute Broadway Cares for a fund-raising benefit with song, dance and
comedy is a wonderful showcase. It stars Susan Lucci (AMC)
and Kimberly McCullough (GH) and Kathy Brier (OLTL) and so many others. La Lucci makes her initial stage
appearance tonight in the opening dance number of "Dancing Queen".
Event executive producer is Tom Viola. Confirmed from the S.V.A. are Williamson Henderson, Brooke Lynn, Eminem Margiotta, Janean Di Palo, Leigh McManus, Mari Peralta, Carl Keller, Jr., Daisy Morales and Andre C.
The venue is at famous Town Hall Theater at 123 West 43
Street (at Avenue of the Americas) in Midtown Manhattan @
8 p.m.
Saturday, February 28 -- S.V.A. MONTHLY MEETING of STONEWALLERS
Williamson Henderson is the presiding officer at this month's meeting. Several important reports by various
S.V.A. members such as Storme and Ruthybird are provided and discussed.
Confirmed political guest speaker is longtime civil rights lawyer Norman H. Siegel.
A song not at The Stonewall -- although the mid-1960s song was
catchy and campy -- is "Norman" by Sue Thompson. This Norman is also a Public Advocate candidate! The meeting is at the GLBT Community Center in Manhattan from 4:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.
Thursday, February 26 -- NYC SEND-OFF for ADOLFO CARRION to THE WHITE HOUSE
The invitation-only event celebrates Bronx Boro Prez Adolfo J. Carrion's
New York City political career to date and
congratulating him on his position as America's Urban Policy
Director with his office in the West Wing of the White House! Confirmed public officials are Congressman Gregory Meeks, Assemblyman Ruben Diaz, Jr. (likely the next Bronx BP) and several Councilmembers. The S.V.A.'s Williamson Henderson heads up
the group. Party is in Downtown Manhattan at Baylor's
Ballroom at Hanover Square between Pearl Street and (ironically)
Stone Street from 6 p.m. to
8 p.m.
Saturday, February 21 -- S.V.A. WEBSITE HITS NEWEST BUSIEST DAY
It's not Gay Pride Month; in fact, it is the middle of
cold Winter, yet the popular S.V.A. website scores its busiest day
of the year -- no less, on a weekend -- with over 35,400 verified
visits in one day!
Friday, February 20 -- BRONX BORO PREZ ADOLFO CARRION INVITES S.V.A.
The Bronx Borough President Adolfo J. Carrion, Jr.,
has respectfully invited a contingency from the S.V.A.
to be present at his "State of the Borough Bronx" address.
Remember where The Pope went last year when he visited
NYC: The Bronx! And where does the new Yankee Stadium open
next month? The Bronx! Opening remarks are by U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. Confirmed public officials include NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, NYC Comptroller Bill Thompson, former City Council Speaker Peter Vallone, Sr., Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson, AJC's predecessor Bronx President Fernando Ferrer, NYS Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr. as well as NYC Councilmembers Jo-el Rivera, Melinda Katz, Helen Foster and Melissa Viverito. Heading up the S.V.A. group is Williamson Henderson. Since Mr. Carrion has been hired by the U.S. President, this is his last
NYC borough report! The ceremonies begin (early) @ 9:30
a.m. in the Center for the Performing Arts Auditorium at
Lehman College at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard in The Bronx. The event is broadcast 'live' on New York One television. If you plan to attend, contact Bronx resident
and Youth-4-SVA's Duran Wilson (who will be at the event) at (646) 704-8807.
Wednesday, February 18 -- ADOLFO CARRION is CONFIRMED for the WHITE HOUSE
The U.S. President hired the last scheduled S.V.A. Guest Speaker.... Adolfo J. Carrion, Jr. ("AJC") is currently the best-ever Borough President of The Bronx! AJC
will be the President's Director of Urban Policy and located in
the West Wing of the White House. If you are qualified -- and
with a worthwhile message of interest and value -- to be a guest
speaker at an S.V.A. meeting or event, please contact a favorite
constituent of AJC's: the S.V.A. Assistant AnDre Christie at (212) 6-27-1969.
Monday, February 16 -- S.V.A. WEBSITE HITS BUSIEST DAY of YEAR
The fact that the
ever-popular STONEWALL Veterans' Association website hit
its (so far) busiest day of the year in the middle of Winter and
at the tail end of a 3-day national holiday weekend makes the
milestone all the more impressive and powerful. HTML Systems
verifies that the visits to the S.V.A. website today was 31,293!
These are people who can actually read and comprehend.
Bless you all!
Wednesday, February 11 -- S.V.A.'s "STONEWALL 40" PROMOTIONAL MAILINGS
Youth-4-SVA's Duran Wilson and youthful volunteers started the four-month process of mailing out
411 about the S.V.A. plans, the need to support S.V.A. and the upcoming
events of "Stonewall 40".
Tuesday, February 10 -- HAL WEINER RETURNS HOME from HOSPITAL
After a successful replacement of his aorta, the heart's main valve, on
Tuesday, January 20th, Hal Weiner ("Hally"), the legendary civil rights
attorney and the S.V.A.'s legal advisor (then and now), returned home!
We expect him at the next S.V.A. meeting -- and with a
Hally-homemade cake!
Monday, February 9 -- S.V.A. SUPPER and H.O.P. MEETING
Prior to the HOP meeting, the S.V.A. has a supper hosted by Williamson Henderson. SVA-ers are suppering at the
Chelsea Gallery Restaurant at 72 Seventh Avenue off West 14th
Street @ 6 p.m. It is only a stone's throw from The Center.
The organizers of the NYC Gay Pride Parade have the S.V.A. on their agenda. HOP holds their
general meeting at the GLBT Center in Manhattan @ 8
p.m.
Monday, February 2, 2009 -- S.V.A. WEBSITE BUSIEST DAY THIS YEAR
The informative, effective and attractive S.V.A. website
reaffirmed the S.V.A. worldwide internet popularity in 2009 with 30,365 verified 'visits'
just today!
Saturday, January 31 -- S.V.A. MONTHLY MEETING
This is the first STONEWALL Veterans' Association (S.V.A.) meeting of the new celebratory year 2009! Special reports given by Williamson and Storme and Mark Z and Ruthybird and Rogers and more.... AnDre C provides 411 on the S.V.A. and HOP joint efforts from
the GLBT Pride Parade committee meeting that he attended at the HOP office.
Main topic today is planning for and acting on
"Stonewall 40". A key to the promotion and success of
SW-40 for the S.V.A. is fund-raising! You can't have the funs without raising the funds. To quote Capital One ads: "What's in your wallet?"
The confirmed guest speaker -- and S.V.A. supporter -- is The Bronx Borough President Adolfo J.
Carrion, Jr. ("AJC"). It is now also confirmed that the new U.S. President has
since
hired Adolfo as his Urban Policy Czar and to be stationed in the
West Wing of the WH! Thus, Mr. Carrion's weekend
schedule may be in the nation's capital, Washington, D.C.
Our Gay guest is Crayton Robey, the director of the upcoming documentary "Making The Boys: The Story Behind The Boys In The Band". And, another guest represents a documentary film relating to the "Stonewall 40"
milestone. To be included on the S.V.A. agenda, contact AnDre at (212) 627-1969.
Wednesday, January 28 -- S.V.A. at PARADE COMMITTEE MEETING of HERITAGE of PRIDE
Heritage of Pride's "March" committee head Maurice Michaane chairs the meeting. Representing the S.V.A. are Williamson Henderson, Mary Twist and AnDre Christie.
Meeting @ 7 p.m. is at HOP's office in the landmark Archives
Building at 154 Christopher Street near the Hudson River in Greenwich
Village. There is a pre-meeting discussion dinner at
Malatesta Italian Cafe at the corner of Christopher and
Washington Streets down deep in Gay Greenwich Village.
Tuesday, January 27 -- S.V.A. CONFERENCE with N.Y. CITYWIDE CANDIDATE
Representing the S.V.A. are Founder Williamson, Webmaster Rogers Hunt and Assistant AnDre Christie. PRIDE Dems is represented by Steven Gradman.
The venue is the professional office of the candidate in midtown
Manhattan @ 4 p.m. After the meeting, there is a dinner @ 6
p.m. for the SVA-ers at Manatus Restaurant on Bleecker Street in
Greenwich Village.
Sunday, January 25 -- FORMER NYC COUNCILMEMBER ANTONIO PAGAN DIES
Antonio M. Pagan ("AMP") of Manhattan's East Village was the first openly-Gay New
York City Councilmember, winning the Democratic primary in September
and the general election in November of 1991. Ironically, another
Gay man -- who ran against a Gay woman, Liz Abzug -- was elected to the Council during that same Democrat primary
and general election but, the latter, Tom "Duanda" Duane, was certified as a winner in both elections hours
after AMP. It rightly peeved Antonio that the latter falsely claimed to be the first openly-Gay
Councilmember. Actually, it was Antonio!
Just like twins, one of them has to be born first
-- even if it is hours. After six years in the Council, Antonio ran in a crowded field for Manhattan
Borough President in 1997. He provided another Gay candidate choice
vis-a-vis The Glickster.
Proudly, Antonio had the endorsements of the G.L.B.T. Political
Coalition, Mayor Rudy Giuliani and the IQKNY, among others. Socially, many SVA-ers such
as Williamson Henderson, Terri Van Dyke, Jeremiah Newton (who lived in the same Avenue C apartment building as AMP), Leigh McManus and Ray McCaffrey attended Antonio's New Year's Eve parties in Alphabet City.
To his NYC official and Gay credits (unlike Duanda),
respectful AMP was a solid and proud sponsor of the
S.V.A. Unlike GINOs (Gay In Name Only) The Glickster, Duanda and Q-trip,
the fun-loving and loyal Councilman Pagan sponsored the STONEWALL
Veterans' Association and attended S.V.A. parties and fund-raisers at the Gayly-historic Stonewall Club.
This is one of the S.V.A. projects in which Mr. Pagan helped -- and won!
The original letter (edited by Williamson) showed a stated copy to the S.V.A.
Antonio joined the STONEWALL Veterans' Association when we testified!
Friday, January 23 -- DINNER MEETING with a NYC COUNCILMEMBER
The popular Councilmember is from Brooklyn! Representing the S.V.A. are Williamson Henderson and Ruthybird Campbell and from PRIDE Democrats is Steven Gradman.
Topic included is inclusive planning for S.V.A. and "SW-40" at the
New York City Council. The cordials serve up @ 5 p.m. at
Bruxelles Restaurant on Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich Village.
Thursday, January 15 -- MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON RIVER
Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenburg and his amazing U.S. Airways Flight 1549 crew of four others literally made happen a "Miracle on the Hudson"
with the incredible and perfect 200-mile-an-hour water landing!
You never saw airline passengers happier! Captain Sully's
courage and skill not on;y saved the lives of every passenger and
crewman but potentially thousands of citizens. The amazing
happening will be officially honored and rightfully
celebrated by the extremely thankful City of New York at a
later date (February 9) at City Hall.
Thursday, January 1, 2009 -- HAPPY, HEALTHY & GAY NEW YEAR from the STONEWALL VETERANS' ASSOCIATION of the STONEWALL ERA
2009 S.V.A. Website Gang
S.V.A. Editor-in-Chief: Leigh McManus
Webmistress: Babsala Lynne
Computer Consultant: Rogers Hunt
S.V.A. Website Gyrl: Brooke Lynn
S.V.A. Assistant: AnDre Christie
Youth-4-SVA: Gina Wright
Youth-4-SVA: Duran Wilson
*
S.V.A. Internet Search Engine of Choice
www.AskJeeves.com
"The butler did it!"
===================================================================================
==========Contribute==========
The STONEWALL Veterans' Association
deserves, needs and appreciates your
support!
3 July 2009 (afternoon)
=in Memoriam to Gay Global Superstar=
Michael Jackson 5
"We Want U Back!"
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