Black Cat Riots

Even though the Stonewall riots in 1969 seem to get more attention, the Black Cat riots of 1967 in Los Angeles are just as significant to gay culture and gay liberation. The city of Los Angeles recently put up a plaque in remembrance of the riots, at the location where they took place.

In the early hours of New Year’s Eve in 1967 a group of plain clothed police officers infiltrated the Black Cat Tavern in Silverlake, a newly established gay bar, and began arresting and beating patrons for kissing.

The violence spread to the nearby New Faces bar, where police beat two bartenders unconscious, and erupted into a riot in the surrounding area.

In February of that same year hundreds marched in protest in a show against police brutality in what is considered the first LGBT rights protest in California.

It’s an interesting article that goes on to mention a few more facts about civil rights and the Black Cat Tavern. You can read more here.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers Gay Film

There’s an upcoming film about the Stonewall Riots by openly gay director Roland Emmerich and Jonathan Rhys Meyers has just joined the cast.

The drama will be about a young man, Danny (Irvine), who flees to New York after getting kicked out of his home.

Befriending a group of street kids, he is introduced to The Stonewall Inn.

I’m not sure whether or not this is fiction or based on a true story. But from the way it sounds the main theme is historical pop culture and it should be interesting to see how it’s done. In other words, I’m hoping there isn’t a straight man who saves the day for gays. As far as I know, the LGBT community fought that battle alone.

There’s more here about Meyers’s character. I’m not sure who is playing gayface in this one. And it really doesn’t matter…as long as openly gay actors start getting more straight roles in films. The key words: being openly gay.

Jenny McCarthy Transphobic Tweet

It just doesn’t seem to end. People with a platform, in the public eye, continue to insult all minorities without giving it a second thought until it’s too late. In this case, McCarthy of that show I would rather not name, The View, allegedly tweeted something anti-transgender and quickly deleted it. But the Internet is too fast for that. And the incident didn’t go unnoticed.

How did the tweet become public? Good old screen shots were taken and McCarthy was caught with her proverbial pants down.

It read: ‘Did Jennifer Lopez’s boyfriend cheat with a transsexual model? I heard JLo gave him an ultimatum: “It’s either me of her/him!”‘

You can read more here. I know a lot of people won’t get that slur. But it is transphobic and it makes a statement about how McCarthy thinks in an offhanded way.

You just can’t outsmart the Internet. Once it’s out there, it’s there forever.

Pastor’s Gay Son

I’ve been saying this is going to start happening more and more for a long time. A California Southern Baptist Church recently started accepting LGBT people…after the pastor’s son came out of the closet. The church actually voted to keep the pastor and his son, and to let gays into the church.

Pastor Danny Cortez of the New Heart Community Church went public with his support for his 15-year-old son Drew in a sermon in February entitled ‘Why I changed my mind on homosexuality.’

 Cortez spoke about how Drew had come out to him after he learned his father liked the Macklemore and Ryan Lewis song Same Love because of its inclusive message.

The main point for me is who doesn’t know someone who is gay? A relative? A co-worker? A boss in some cases. It’s often more dramatic when a child comes out, but I highly doubt there is a single person in the most conservative church in the US who doesn’t have at least one gay person in their immediate circle…whether they know it or not.

There’s more here. This is one of the more uplifting pieces I’ve read in a while. It’s a quiet affirmation that things are constantly changing. Some gays are Christians, too. Christianity is NOT exclusive to the straight community.

And in a way, it all dates back to events like Stonewall and the Black Cat Riots.