>>> WELCOME BACK TO "VELSHI & RUHLE."
RUHLE." TODAY IS THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF
THE HISTORIC STONEWALL UPRISING.
JUNE 28th, 1969 HERE IN NEW
YORK.
YORK. POLICE RAIDED A GAY WALL CALLED
THE STONEWALL INN BECAUSE IT WAS
A GAY BAR.
THE LBGTQ COMMUNITY FOUGHT BACK.
THE FOLLOWING TWO DAYS CAME TO
BE KNOWN AS THE STONEWALL RIOT.
IT PARKED THE GAY RIGHTS
MOVEMENT.
MOVEMENT. HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE PARTICIPATED
THEN.
THEN. THIS WEEKEND, MILLIONS OF PEOPLE
ARE EXPECTED TO CELEBRATE PRIDE
IN NEW YORK CITY MARKING THAT
PIVOTAL DAY.
PIVOTAL DAY. JOE FRIAR IS LIVE OUTSIDE THE
HISTORIC STONEWALL.
HISTORIC STONEWALL. HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO SORT OF
DETERMINE HAS BEEN MADE IN THE
GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT SINCE THEN?
IT FEELS LIKE A LONG TIME AGO
BUT IT HAS BEEN A REMARKABLE
RIGHTS SINCE THEN?
>> Reporter: IT HAS BEEN GRADUAL
OVERTIME.
OVERTIME. THE STONEWALL IS BEHIND ME AND A
LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
GATHERING TODAY.
GATHERING TODAY. ALL THEIR EYES ARE DIRECTED FOR
SPECIAL PERFORMANCE AND POP UP
SURPRISE HAPPENING HERE.
WE ARE HERE RIGHT NOW.
OUR BROADWAY PERFORMER SINGING A
SONG.
SONG. YOU ARE JOINING US RIGHT HERE,
THE CLIMAX OF THAT SONG.
SHE GOT EVERYONE THERE RIEPGTGHT
NOW.
NOW. PROGRESS IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TALKING
ABOUT AS WE HAVE BEEN
REMEMBERING STONEWALL OVER THE
PAST FEW DAYS.
BEFORE THIS EVENT, THERE WAS A
RED CARPET AND A NUMBER OF
CELEBRITIES AND ACTORS, AND ANDY
COHEN AND WHOOPI GOL BERGDBERG A
TALKING ABOUT HOW MUCH THINGS
HAVE CHANGED.
HAVE CHANGED. PEOPLE WOULD BE ARRESTED AND
HUMILIATED.
HUMILIATED. IT WAS SOMETHING HAPPENING OVER
AND OVER AGAIN.
PEOPLE WERE USED TO THE FACT OF
RAIDS HAPPENING.
RAIDS HAPPENING. SOME REASON THAT NIGHT, NO ONE
UNDERSTANDS WHY IT HAPPENED.
THE CROWD SEEMED LIKE THEY WERE
SHARING THE SAME LINE AND THEY
FOUGHT BACK.
FOUGHT BACK. IT WAS NOT JUST THAT NIGHT, IT
WAS SEVERAL NIGHTS.
IT WAS THE PARK SPARKSPARK, THE
POINT IN THE GAY RIGHTS
MOVEMENT.
MOVEMENT. THE ACTIVIST GROUP WAS FORMED
AND NOW ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF
STONEWALL ON MARCH WAS HELD HERE
IN NEW YORK.
THAT WAS A PARADE OR PARTY, IT
WAS MEANT TO SEND A POLITICAL
STATEMENT AND IN THAT TIME, IT
HAS BEEN SLOW CHANGING AND
GRADUAL CHANGE.
GRADUAL CHANGE. YOU HAVE SEEN GAY MARRIAGE
BECOMING LEGAL AND DIFFERENT
LAWS AND OFTENTIMES IN CITIES
AND MORE AT STATES AND THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. >> THIS YEAR’S PRIDE IS
MEANINGFUL TO YOU, JOE.
TELL US WHY.
>> Reporter: YES, SO AS WE HAVE
BEEN PUTTING TOGETHER STORIES,
ONE OF THE STORIES OFWAS LOOKING
AT COMING OUT.
WE LOOKED AT THREE DIFFERENT
GENERATIONS OF MAN IN HIS 60s
AND LIVING IN THE CLOSET
ESPECIALLY DURING THE AGE CRISIS
AND LATER COMING OUT IN HIS ’90s
AFTER HE’S BEEN ENGAGED TO A
WOMAN.
WOMAN. WE TALKED TO YOUNGER PEOPLE,
COMING OUT AT STAGE 14 OR 16 OR
18.
18. THEY ARE EXPERIENCING A LOT OF
ISSUES.
ISSUES. MORE PROGRESS IS NEEDED.
YOU SEE YOUNG AND LESBIANS AND B
GAYS.
GAYS. A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
TALKING ABOUT WE HAVE SEEN A
NUMBER OF TRANS WOMEN OF COLOR
WHO HAVE BEEN MURDERED.
I SHARE MY PERSONAL STORY.
I AM CAUGHT BETWEEN THOSE TWO
GENERATIONS.
GENERATIONS. IT WAS IN THE LATE ’90s I CAME
OUT OF THE CLOSET.
THAT WAS A TIME WHERE YOU START
SEEING MORE VISIBILITY IN POP
CULTURE.
CULTURE. YOU START TO SEE THE SHOW LIKE
"WILL AND GRACE" AND ELLEN
DeGENERES CAME OUT OF THE
CLOSET.
CLOSET. IT MADE IT EASIER FOR ME OF MY
GENERATION COMING OUT.
WE SHARE THOSE STORIES AND WE
UNDERSTAND THAT AS MUCH AS
THINGS HAVE CHANGED, COMING OUT
OF THE CLOSET IS A DIFFICULT
PROCESS FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE.
>> IT IS DIFFICULT.
IT CAUSES SUICIDES.
IT’S REALLY TOUGH.
SO, JOE, THANK YOU FOR THE
BRAVERY THAT IS INHERENT IN
DOING THAT BECAUSE PEOPLE WILL
WATCH YOUR EXAMPLE AND SAY I CAN
MAKE IT WORK, TOO.
JOE FRYER, OUR NEWS
CORRESPONDENT LIVE OUTSIDE THE
STONEWALL INN, CELEBRATING 50
YEARS SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE
GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT.
JOINING ME IS DAVID JOHNS FROM
THE NATIONAL BLACK COALITION.
IT HAS BEEN 50 YEARS.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE MOST
SIGNIFICANCE PROGRESS IS THAT
HAS BEEN MADE SO FAR?
>> THANK YOU FOR ASKING THE
QUESTION.
QUESTION. I WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT WE HAVE
TO BE MINDFUL OF WORDS AND WHILE
THERE HAVE BEEN MANY GAYS THAT
HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE
LGBTQ MOVEMENT SINCE STONEWALLS,
A LOT OF THOSE GAINS HAVE
BENEFITED WHITE LGBTQ PEOPLE.
I SAY THAT IN PARTICULAR
REFERENCING A POINT PREVIOUSLY
MADE WHICH IS THAT IN THIS PRIDE
MONTH ALONE WE HAVE SEEN SIX
BLACK TRANSWOMEN MURDERED THAT
WE KNOW OF.
THERE’S STILL A LOT OF WORK TO
BE DONE.
BE DONE. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT THING IS
THAT STONEWALL, THE RESISTANCE,
I LIKE TO CALL IT, RATHER THAN A
RIOT SHIFTED LBTD PEOPLEGBTQ PEO
CENTER.
CENTER. THE NATIONAL BLACK JUSTICE
COALITION, LIKE THE GAY AND
LESBIAN ALLIANCE, LIKE THE LGBTQ
TASK FORCE, OR JOHNSON’S
ORGANIZATION, THE CREATION OF
ORGANIZATIONS THAT UNDERSTAND
THE IMPORTANCE OF ADVOCACY AND
ACTION AND CONTINUED TO ADVOCATE
FOR THE OFTEN IGNORED NEEDS OF
LGBTQ IS A THING THAT CONTINUES
TO BE MOST IMPORTANT.
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU
SAID, THERE IS A LOT OF WORK TO
DO.
DO. WE’RE CELEBRATING.
WE’RE CELEBRATING. THIS WEEK GLAD RELEASED A NEW
STUDY WE REFERENCED ERLDIER
SHOWS A DECLINE IN SUPPORT FOR
THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY FROM
NON-LGBTQ AMERICANS AGED 18 TO
34.
34. YOUNG AMERICANS ARE SHOWI A
DECLINE IN SUPPORT FOR THEIR
FELLOW GAY AMERICANS.
ONLY 45% OF MILLENNIALS SAY
THEY’RE ALLIES TO THE COMMUNITY.
THAT’S A DECLINE OF 18 POINTS
SINCE 2016.
SINCE 2016. IS THIS AN ANOMALY OR IS THIS
SOMETHING YOU’VE SEEN AND WHAT
COULD POSSIBLY EXPLAIN THIS?
>> ACTUALLY WHAT I KNOW TO BE
TRUE IS THE EXACT OPPOSITE, ALI.
WHAT I KNOW IS THERE’S A RECENT
SURVEY OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
AND MORE THAN 80% IDENTIFY AS
SOMETHING OTHER THAN STRICTLY
HETEROSEXUAL.
HETEROSEXUAL. A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE I MIGHT
TRAVELING ACROSS THE COUNTRY
TALK ABOUT THE TERMS WE USE,
GAY, STRAY, BLACK, WHITE, THE
BINARIES DON’T REALLY WORK.
THEY’RE CONSTRICTING, CONFINING
AND OFTEN SUFFOCATING.
THIS IS WHERE WE TALK ABOUT THE
IMPLICATIONS OF SUICIDE AND THE
INCREASES AROUND MENTAL HEALTH
TRAUMA MORE GENERALLY.
WHAT I THINK, STATISTICS YOU’RE
REFERENCING SPEAK TO, THERE HAVE
BEEN INCREASED TENSIONS AROUND
IDENTITY POLITICS AND THE TERMS
WE USE TO DESCRIBE ONE ANOTHER,
AND SO THERE’S A LOT MORE WORK
TO BE DONE, TO REALLY SHIFT AWAY
FROM THE TERMS THAT WE USED TO
GET PEOPLE TO APPRECIATE THIS IS
REALLY ABOUT HUMANITY.
I SAY ALL THE TIME I DON’T NEED
YOU TO APPROVE OF, ACCEPT OR
OTHERWISE OFFER ANY SORT OF
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF WHO I AM AND
HOW GOD PURPOSED FOR ME TO SHOW
UP IN THE WORLD, BUT I DO HOPE
ANYONE THAT UNDERSTANDS THE
STIGMA OF DISCRIMINATION OR OF
HATE RED CAN PRACTICE EMPATHY
AND ACKNOWLEDGE THERE ARE STILL
TOO MANY MEMERRED OF OUR
COMMUNITY THAT HAVE OPPRESSED
EXPERIENCES AND UNABLE TO ENJOY
THE CIVIL LIBERTIES.
>> THE"THE DAILY BEAST" HAS NEW
RESEARCH SHOWING 2 MILLION LGBTQ
YOUTH IN THE UNITED STATES THINK
ABOUT SUICIDE EACH YEAR.
WHAT’S THE BEST WAY -- WHETHER
OR NOT THE WORDS YOU USED,
WHETHER PEOPLE APPROVE OF OR
EMPATHIZE WITH, I THINK
EVERYBODY CAN AGREE WE DON’T
WANT YOUNG PEOPLE COMMITTING
SUICIDE BECAUSE OF QUESTIONS OR
SEXUAL IDENTITY.
SEXUAL IDENTITY. HOW DO WE ADDRESS THAT
PARTICULAR PROBLEM?
PARTICULAR PROBLEM? >> I APPRECIATE THAT.
I CARE GREATLY ABOUT OUR BABIES.
I TAUGHT KINDERGARTEN AND THIRD
GRADE STUDENTS.
GRADE STUDENTS. I’M A RESEARCHER STUDYING HOW
SCHOOLS ARE SOURCES OF TRAUMA
FOR STUDENTS WHO AREN’T WHITE,
ABLE BODIED AND THE LIKE.
THE THING WE HAVE TO BE MINDFUL
OF, WE’VE SEEN INCREASES IN THE
RATES OF SUICIDE AMONGST
CHILDREN OF COLOR AS WELL AS
LGBTQ YOUTH.
LGBTQ YOUTH. THE THING THAT MOST CONCERNED
ADULTS AND FRONT LINE
RESPONDERS, EDUCATORS IN
PARTICULAR, NEED TO BE MINDFUL
OF, THAT YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY ARE
EXPERIENCING TRAUMA, SOMETIMES
ON THE WAY TO AND FROM SCHOOL
THAT WOULD BREAK THE AVERAGE
ADULT.
ADULT. WE NEED TO BE MINDFUL OF THE
RISK FACTORS AND WATCH YOUNG
PEOPLE SO WE CAN INTERCEDE
BEFORE THERE’S OFTEN A MOMENT OF
CRISIS OR TRAUMA.
THE OTHER THING THAT’S REALLY
IMPORTANT IS FOR US TO SHIFT HOW
IT IS THAT WE ENGAGE AND HAVE
CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUNG PEOPLE.
TOO OFTEN ADULTS ARE LISTENING
TO RESPOND, NOT REALLY LISTENING
TO LEARN.
TO LEARN. SO THE LAST THING I’LL OFFER IS
SOMETHING I SHARE WITH MY
COLLEAGUES WHILE TEACHING
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. SOMETIMES WE ASK THE QUESTION
WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU WHEN WE
SIMPLY SHOULD BE ASKING WHAT’S
WRONG.
WRONG. >> YOU’RE A GOOD DEBATER.
IF I SAY IN 50 YEARS THERE HAVE
BEEN REMARKABLE ADVANCES IN THE
GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT, DO YOU
AGREE WITH THAT?
>> FOR WHITE PEOPLE, YES.
>> FOR WHITE PEOPLE.
>> YES, SIGNIFICANT GAINS FOR
WHITE PEOPLE.
WHITE PEOPLE. I USED THE TERM EARLIER SAME
GENDER LOVING.
GENDER LOVING. I USE THAT BECAUSE GAY IS A
WHITE POLITICAL IDENTIFIER USED
BY MANY ORGANIZATIONS I
MENTIONED TO ADVANCE THINGS THAT
ARE MUCH MORE IMPORTANT TO WHITE
LGBTQ PEOPLE.
LGBTQ PEOPLE. CONSIDER THE FACT THAT MOST
BLACK LGBTQ PEOPLE, WHICH AGAIN
IS SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE DON’T
REALLY ACKNOWLEDGE, THERE’S
OFTEN AN ASSUMPTION THAT ALL
BLACK PEOPLE ARE HETEROSEXUAL,
PRESUMED HETEROSEXUAL AND ALL
LGBTQ PEOPLE ARE PRESUMED TO BE
WHITE.
WHITE. PEOPLE FORGET THERE ARE THOSE
THAT LIVE IN THE INTERSECTIONS.
MOST OF US BLACK LGBTQ LIVE WITH
OTHER PEOPLE.
OTHER PEOPLE. WE’RE DISPROPORTIONATELY
WE’RE DISPROPORTIONATELY CONCENTRATED IN THE SOUTH, IN
STATES WHERE IT’S LEGAL TO
DISCRIMINATE AND DENY PEOPLE
LAOSING OR EMPLOYMENT BASED ON
GENDER ORIENTATION OR GENDER
EXPRESSION.
EXPRESSION. WHEN WE THINK ABOUT PRIDE MONTH,
FOR BLACK LGBTQ PEOPLE, WHAT’S
OFTEN NOT SAFE US TO CLAIM OUR
IDENTITIES IN PUBLIC, THAT’S WHY
THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY MURDERS
OF BLACK TRANS WOMEN.
I WAS IN HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA,
WITH THE FAMILY OF NIGEL SHELBY,
A 15-YEAR-OLD BOY BLACK BOY WHO
WAS BULLIED BECAUSE HE WAS
BELIEVED TO BE GAY.
HE WENT TO SCHOOL WITHOUT THE
PROPER SUPPORT OF EDUCATORS ABLE
TO INTERVENE.
TO INTERVENE. I MAKE THESE POINTS AND I’M
DRAWING THESE DISTINCTIONS
BECAUSE WE HAVE TO BE MINDFUL
THAT WHITE SUPREMACY MANIFEST
DIFFERENTLY IN SEXUAL IDENTITY.
THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF GAINS,
BUT STILL SO MUCH MORE
WORK-TO-BE DONE INCLUDING
PASSING THE EQUALITY ACT THAT
THE UNITED STATES SENATE HAS NOW
PASSED OUT OF THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES.
REPRESENTATIVES. >> THANK YOU FOR MAKING US
SMARTER AND MORE EMPATHETIC,
DAVID JOHNS WITH THE NATIONAL
BLACK JUSTICE COALITION.
IF YOU OR SOMEONE IS IN CRISIS,
FEELING SUICIDAL OR IN NEED OF A
SAFE, JUDGMENT FREE TO TALK,
CALL THE VEF VOR PROJECT’S