Tonight, June 28th, marks the fortieth anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, generally regarded as the realization of the modern gay rights movement. Pride festivities took place today in New York City – the site of the Stonewall Inn – and embattled New York Governor David A. Paterson participated in the parade down Fifth Avenue, along with State Speaker Christine Quinn, who will announce her re-election tomorrow. Both Paterson, straight, and Quinn, gay, are animated advocate for gay marriage and are anxious for the state to pass legislation soon to make it the seventh in the union to sanction same-sex marriage, and yet the issue, as the New York Times suggests, on a day of celebration, and one that commemorates our insistence on equality, has likely been lost amid the chaos of the current state legislation, and will not come before lawmakers until the fall session.
San Francisco’s Pride, like New York’s, seemed to take partly place almost as though time, since Stonewall, has stood still, the anger and outrage of the gay community obvious, mostly about Proposition 8, but married with optimism and resilience that are hallmarks of homosexuals. The San Francisco Chronicle has this report on the thirty-ninth annual parade as well as a gallery of the day best deemed gay.
Saturday saw Pride celebrated in Berlin and Paris, the lovely Liza Minnelli on hand in Paris, atop a float no less, which even for the gays feels a tad over the top.
Big, breaking news that is slightly silly, as Britney Spears has gone from blond to brunette, announcing hair color change while out and about Sunday in Los Angeles with her agent and boyfriend Jason Trawick. It is rumored the twosome is engaged, and will likely marry in December.
Ed Westwick, minus Chace Crawford, celebrated his twenty-second birthday Saturday in New York City, with Gossip Girl co-star Jessica Szhor on his side, the two, along with invited guests, bowling, Mr. Westwick growing a great thatch of chest hair over the summer hiatus.
The BET Music Awards were held this evening in Los Angeles, the death of Michael Jackson an obvious distraction, although, oddly not for Michael’s father, Joe Jackson, whose erratic behavior might be a product of mourning, but, um the interview he did pre-award ceremony, so very wrong on so very many levels.
0 comments:
Post a Comment