Stonewall: Reclaiming The Legacy

It was early in the morning of June 28th In New York City that the Stonewall rebellion had begun. The LGBT community had already had it with harassment and homophobia. During the Stonewall raids police would track identifications of those hanging out at local bars and give the information to local newspapers for indecency of holding hands, kissing, cross gendering and sometimes just being there during the raids.



Though we hold pride once a year it seems we have forgotten the origins of it. Many LGBT communities throughout the world hold festivities to commemorate the anniversary of Stonewall, which takes place June 28th just 4 days shy of the Summer Solstice. The good thing is not all of them have become so commoditized some fairs actually promote health and tolerance as well as sacred space for members of the community. On the other hand at many others I've noticed that its become more materialized and commoditized and it has become more of a money making venture than a celebration. You see people dancing on red bull trucks and throwing beads from the Jagermeister truck corporate logos everywhere.

On the other hand many average folks attend these pride events which is a good thing. It is the 21st century and it is about time that people stood up for other peoples rights and realized that it was wrong all along to torment and harass the LGBT community for their ideas. We are the new generation and we are free don't ever let anyone tell you that you cannot love someone because of their gender or race because the day that happens is the day that we start getting numbered off and lose not only our dignity but our freedom and our rights to express ourselves.



What led to the stonewall rebellion



During the stonewall rebellion under the State Liquor Association it was illegal for a bartender to serve two openly gay men alcohol at a bar. If bartenders were caught in the act of selling alcohol to gay couples in a bar together the bars Liquor license would be taken away and the men would be arrested. Keep in mind that liquor licenses cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and sometimes take years to get depending on when you apply for the license.

The Stonewall Bar was the birthplace of gay liberation. The Stonewall Bar was often a place of mischief for police enforcement and there were raids almost daily where men and women who seemed butch or men that seemed effeminate were arrested and sometimes more than likely beaten at the bar. During the 1990’s the Stonewall INN a popular club for gay females and men reopened after renovation and remained popular until 2006 when It lost it’s lease, but in February of 2007 it reopened it’s doors to the public.



It was at The Stonewall Inn that community had decided enough was enough and for the first time ever the entire LGBT community got together in a united action. It got so ridiculously to where the people took control and took the law in there own hands. They showed the police how it felt to be beaten and shoved around for no apparent reason other than being human and having feelings for someone else. During the riot, 2,000 men and women fought against 400 law enforcement agents who were wiping the streets of its city clean of anyone who was gay, lesbian, bi, or Transgendered. This rebellion showed the pigs that a community united can take matters into their own hands. The rebellion obviously scared the capitalists who thought to themselves “Oh no the peasants are revolting”. The state had to back down on this issue it had to be the state since the police are simply Imperial Storm Troopers enforcing the will of the state. In light of this struggling however what did our community ultimately get because of these struggles.

During the 2006 anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, Iceland enacted a law to grant same-sex couples legal rights equal with those of heterosexual couples. Religious organizations still do not have the right to confirm a same-sex union in the country. This is a violation of people’s rights to practice spiritualities which do allow same sex marriages such as; Wicca, Gnosticism, and other “New Age” belief systems. Ultimately the capitalists realized that its was better to turn our lifestyle into a product.



Pride as a commodity



On Sunday June 28th 1970 on the one-year anniversary of Stonewall the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) organized a march. On the same weekend there where also March’s on the West Coast of the United States held in Los Angeles and San Francisco. In the following years, more and more annual marches started up in other cities throughout the world. Of course this is in contrast to what the pride parades/ march's have become in recent years.

Many corporations such as Starbucks, and Disney have become official sponsors of the community even though they tend to exploit their own workers. On the one hand they give money to events but on the other hand they make their goal clear. In many cities one must pay ridiculous amounts of money to attend these events (Some are free of the taint thank goodness). Beyond that when one does get into the events you see a big corporate event that’s all about Starbucks, and other corporations making money off the community.

Beyond that many companies are using the gay lifestyle as a marketing tool to make a quick buck such as IKEA. Ikea cut a commercial that filmed two openly gay men walking into there store to buy furniture. There’s even a bubblegum commercial that had two young women kissing each other on the lips. Now can anyone tell me how two girls making out has anything to do with chewing gum? The point is that capitalism just views the LGBT lifestyle as a clever marketing gimmick to sell more products.

Reclaiming the Spirit



Its no coincidence that the Stonewall rebellion happened just 4 days after the summer solstice. One cannot ignore the fact that days of Pagan Sabbaths which have not been some how co-opted by the Abrahamics end up on or close to the day of some massive collective consciousness shift. It could be the collective memory of people remembering a time when goddess based religions where tolerant of all lifestyles. Of perhaps how native americans thought the soul of a women had entered a man who was attracted to other men. Perhaps it is for this reason that we see Stonewall and Mayday occur near ancient solar festivals.

When we finally become one with the spirit of the planet again and start harmonizing ourselves with “The Gaia Consciousness” we will reach a new enlightened existence. Greed will disappear and so will all suffering and all the side effects of the unawakened mind will cease. The New Aeon will see the end of capitalism since in the New Aeon we will be one with the planet. It will be only at that point that all lifestyles will be considered a normal and natural part of everyday existence. Love is love pure and simple me being a bi female I feel I have the right to be in love with whomever I choose. At the Golden Dawn of the New Aeon so it shall be. Together we can all be the Faery, Valkyre's, Angels, Bodhi, and Light Bringers of the new blessed Aeon!

-End the commoditization of pride!

-We are not products on your store shelf!

Statement of The New Aeon Socialist Movement (NASM)