Pikeun ngabebaskeun saharita
June 28, 2024
Contact: Michael Marcheck, Stonewall Democrats Chair
stonewalldems@nebraskademocrats.org
***Nebraska Democratic Party News Press Release for 6-28-2024***
Nebraska Democratic Party Stonewall Democrats Statement on the 55th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots
LINCOLN, NE – The Nebraska Stonewall Democrats Chair Michael Marcheck issues the following statement on the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots that sparked the LGBTQIA+ civil rights movement:
“June 28th, 2024, will be the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. From late June to early July of 1969, queer individuals in New York City stood together and fought back against government oppression. Queer people had resisted before, but June of 1969 was the first time that the community’s bravery was noticed on the national scene. The Stonewall riots were the spark that brought the queer community out of the underworld and into the daylight and started the Gay Liberation and LGBT rights movements.
Those movements, though, left many behind. Similar to the suffragettes, early gay and lesbian activists excluded “unpalatable” queers: trans people, people of color, and even gender-non-conforming gays and lesbians. But, those “unpalatable” people persisted. Despite legal discrimination, social stigma, and infighting within the queer community, those who did not fit the mold continued to work to break it.
55 years after Stonewall, progress has been made. Life is easier for queer people in 2024 than it was in 1969, but it is still not easy. Homophobia did not end when Lawrence v. Texas invalidated sodomy bans in 2003. Queer equality was not achieved in 2015 when bans on same-sex marriage were made unconstitutional. The queer community’s increased visibility has led to increased societal acceptance but also renewed attacks in recent years.
According to the ACLU, a record-breaking 510 anti-LGBTQ+ laws were introduced across the United States in 2023. In 2024, 516 were introduced. Many of these laws targeted the most vulnerable members of the queer community – trans youth. Human rights were not protected in the Nebraska legislature in 2024, but resistance to LB575 during the Nebraska Legislative session prevented additional harm to trans youth. Because of the Democratic state senators who voted “no” on LB575, trans-Nebraskans can use the bathrooms they feel comfortable in while at school. Trans youth can play on the school teams and use the locker rooms that match their gender identity. However, the threat to trans youth, and the queer community at large, has not passed. Nebraska District 31’s state senator is running for reelection, with a campaign centered around reintroducing LB575. Project 2025 is gaining steam, and one of its core principles involves dismantling the hard-won protections and rights the queer community has fought for.
This June, and every month, the Nebraska Stonewall Democrat Caucus and the Nebraska Democratic Party stand with the queer community.”
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