CT Stonewall Event featuring Sylvia Rivera Oct 23, 1999
The following is a copy of a draft flyer that was on my (jerimarie) old AOL account sent by Carolyn Gabel(-Brett) dated 9/12/99. Perhaps a final hard copy is over at the CCSU Archives.
In Recognition of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History Month
HOLD THE DATE: October 23rd Conference
“Celebrating Our Life Stories
and Our Relationships”
The Connecticut Stonewall Foundation is proud to announce the Second Day Long conference celebrating LGBT History month in Connecticut. The event is entitled “Celebrating Our Life Stories and Our Relationships” and will be held from 9:00 AM until 5:30 PM, October 23rd, 1999 at Trinity College, Hartford. This event features a keynote speech from the Stonewall Veteran - Sylvia Rivera in addition to workshops, panels, and exhibits on LGBT relationships.
The event will conclude with celebration and music featuring Mystery Date. Further details will be forthcoming in your late September mail, so be sure to mark your calendars for this October 23, 1999, event at Trinity College, Hartford.
If you have any questions or require further information contact Peter Kenny at (860) 232-8552 or email JeriMarie at Jeritg@aol.com
The video from this event is included in this blog entry (also click here to view) which features two key Stonewall Foundation Organizers Carolyn Gabel-Brett and Richard Nelson both introducing Sylvia Rivera. In this video Sylvia reads from a prepared speech however during the Q&A session we see a much more animated and wonderful St. Sylvia.
There is a special significance to this event that was never mentioned in the flyer that involves (yet again) a major response by the CT Stonewall Foundation against Metroslime ~ who in April 1999 allowed a mean spirited and derogatory letter to the editor appear (unedited) attacking Drag Queens/Trans folks and especially the much loved and respected Mucha Mucha Pleasure. I hope that some of those folks intimately involved will add their comments to this Queer CT History blog posting. Click here to view PDF scans of the original letter and subsequent responses appearing in the following two issues.
The Conference Video is embedded below for your viewing pleasure (click here to go to video page, click here to report viewing problems).
1 comment
Thanks for this posting Jeri. I was at the archives housed at CCSU on Friday and checked out the Metroslime 1999. Another letter that appeared on 7.22.99 was written by Alex Valentino, of West Hartford. Valentino wrote as follows.
To the Editor
"I was appalled to read in the Hartford Courant's June 17 calendar section about the celebration of drag kings and queens that started the Stonewall riots. For one thing the Stonewall event never had drag! At that time, a person in drag did not walk the streets.
It annoys me when time and time again, people don't take the time to educate themselves about the Stonewall event. Many people in our own community are very ignorant about the subject, so they take the issue and blow it out of proportion and make everyone else confused.
We are constantly bombarded by drag queens year after year at Pride. Is it because they can't find decent performers? Let's remember that pride is a time to celebrated ourselves. It is a chance to show the general public that we are not a bunch of crack-pots looking for a cheap thrill. And from what I have seen this year, it is an embarrassment."
Alex Valentino, West Hartford
I remember well that there was also an article written by someone who did not sign the piece that also was published in the Metroslime during this same period. More research to find it in the archives and to add it to this posting will be conducted. This nastness also spilled over to the Hartford Advocate where a letter writer damned the Ct. Coalition for LGBT Civil Rights and said that the leaders only wanted the spotlight and glory for themselves. What an insult to all of the hard work that members of the Coalition had done through out the years. I can only shake my head. That letter, “Time for my close up Mr. De Mille” was written by a former employee of the Metroslime.
I have copies of the leaflet and the program book from the conference that I will get to Jeri so she can scan them to put with this article. What a conference it was and I salute those who worked to make it happen.
One Wednesday following this conference the exhibition Challenging and Changing America: The Struggle for LGBT Civil Rights 1900-1999 was opening at the Hartford Public Library. If I appear a bit under the weather in the video it was because I was.
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