Stonewall at 40: Celebrating resistance

On June 28, 1969, a group of gay men and lesbians decided that enough was enough, and struck back against the authorities after a series of police raids at the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in New York City’s Greenwich Village. During the following days and nights, they marched and rioted, making headlines and sparking the modern gay-rights movement.

Now some Asheville-area LGBTQ people and their supporters are poised to mark the 40th anniversary of Stonewall with a series of rallies and commemorative events.

The Stonewall celebration starts at 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 27, in Pritchard Park, with speakers and music. At 6 p.m., a permitted sidewalk march will make its way through downtown, followed by a 7 p.m. ice-cream social back at Pritchard Park.

After outside events, an after-party gets cooking at Hookah Joes at 9 p.m. Performers will including a Blondie cover band from Durham, local rockers Sparkle Rainbow Ponies of Death, burlesque and drag from the Tranzmission Drag Troup and dancing by Talon Dance Troup, followed by a DJ’ed dance tunes.

“This year’s theme is Super Queeros!” reads a press release from event organizers. “We will be honoring our community’s very own super hero legends of the past!”

— Jon Elliston, managing editor

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Jon Elliston
Former Mountain Xpress managing editor Jon Elliston is the senior editor at WNC magazine.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

One thought on “Stonewall at 40: Celebrating resistance

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.