RenoVous

 10 years ago, the shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Florida became the deadliest attack on the gay community in this country.  Prior to that, it had been arson at the UpStairs Lounge in New Orleans in 1973. A fire was set in the stairway, which trapped and killed 32 people.  The cause was noted as "undetermined," however, so no one was ever arrested. Fifteen people who jumped from the second story reported smelling gasoline before the blaze. Churches in the area reportedly refused to host funerals, and a bishop even rebuked one reverend who held a prayer service for the victims. In 2013, the Catholic Archdiocese apologized.

  June is Pride Month in honor of the  Stonewall Riots , and the month has remained important for gay rights. On this day in 2003, the  Lawrence v. Texas  decision struck down Texas sodomy laws, along with similar laws in 13 other states.   The case started in 1998 when police responded to reports of someone brandishing a gun.  Upon entering the apartment, Lawrence was arrested under a 'Homosexual Conduct' law.  The ruling is based more on a right to privacy, but effectively legalized same-sex sexual activity. In 2015, Obergefell v. Hodges  determined same-sex marriages must be recognized nationwide. Jim Obergefell and John Arthur had been married in Maryland, where it had been legalized at the state level, but was not recognized by Ohio authorities. "The right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of the person, and under the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment couples of the same sex may no...

  Quite a few bits of history from today are on the morbid side. 1942: Anne Frank receives a diary for her 13th birthday.  A beautiful gift in itself, but knowing what she endured as she filled those pages, and what an important testament it is now.... 1963: Civil rights leader, Medgar Evers, is assassinated by a white supremacist.  He had been instrumental in getting evidence and witnesses for the Emmett Till murder case.  Unlike Till's killers, Evers' was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. 1982: The largest disarmament rally in America takes place in Central Park, with more than one million people protesting nuclear weapons and the Cold War arms race. 1994: Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman are murdered, fatally stabbed multiple times. 2016: Mass shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Miami, where 49 people were killed and dozens more injured.  A predominantly gay club, it appeared as both a hate crime and an act of terrorism.  The shooter had called 9...

  On this day in 1777, Congress adopts the Stars and Stripes. It was based on the Grand Union flag carried by the Continental Army in 1776, which had the 13 stripes along with the Union Jack in the corner. Also representing the original 13 colonies, the stars formed "a new Constellation." Since it's Pride Month, let's look at another flag. (Google celebrates if you search for it). First created in 1978 by Gilbert Baker (commissioned by Harvey Milk), each line represents a different part of the community: hot pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow is sunlight, green is nature, turquoise is for magic and art, indigo serenity, and violet is the spirit of the LGBTQ+ people. After Milk was assassinated, demand for the flag was high.  Due to manufacturing issues, the hot pink had to be removed, and Baker chose to have turquoise removed.  The six color flag has flown for 40 years now. Today there are numerous flags to celebrate sexual orientation, from bisexu...

 First we took a drive to check out some water spots. We ended up in Tahoe. Then back in town for some Reno Pride. Performance by Derrick Barry.

 In honor of Pride Month and the season of protest we currently find ourselves in, fighting still for equal rights.... June 28, 1969 Gay clubs had long been a target for police, with raids happening at least once a month.  Patrons would be lined up and arrested if in drag - this included women who were required to be wearing three pieces of feminine clothing.  Typically, bar owners received a tip off and the raids occurred early enough in the day that business could carry on. This time was different.  Undercover officers entered without warning, and later in the evening.  Once the police announced themselves, there was too much confusion and running around.  They were not able to line up the patrons, and many in drag refused to go with officers to have their genitals checked, refusing identification, so the police intended to arrest them all. As they waited for transport, the crowd outside grew.  As the employees were loaded up, someone shouted "Gay Po...

  Image is borrowed from a page I'm linking to because it was on their podcast that I learned of today's topic. TLO Podcast That topic is Polari - a code language used by gay men to communicate in order to survive. It was used in the UK in response to strict anti-homosexuality laws in the 1920's but it originates from at least the 19th century.  It's a combination of Italian, Romani, London slang, backslang, sailor slang, circus slang, and thieves' cant.  It later expanded to include some Yiddish as well. The core lexicon includes words such as: bona - good ajax - nearby eek (or ecaf) - face cod - bad, vile naff - bad, dull lattie - room, house, flat nanti - no omi - man palone - woman trade - sex rozzer - policeman There were specific words to identify oneself and to compliment others on their hair or fashion.  Drag, queen, and butch are Polari terms.  It allowed gay men to interact with one another without fear of the law, or getting beat up when reaching out ...

I found an excerpt called "Queerest Little City in the World" from the book LGBTQ America: A Theme Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer History published by the National Park Service, with support from the  Gill Foundation . John Jeffrey Auer IV authors this chapter, and notes the Wild West history of our area.  Back then, western states didn't do much in regulating the behavior of their citizens. Reno specifically has "historically prided itself on being different from other cities in the United States, especially since becoming the divorce capital of the US in the 1910's and legalizing gambling in 1931 when it was illegal in every other state in the Union." Even though casinos were segregated until the 1960's, you would see a truly mixed community in the gay bars of the time.  Even if certain racial groups weren't exactly welcome, they were served.  A longtime resident recalls more issues with transphobia than ra...

I know, I don't usually post on the weekends, but I wanted to share this here as well. I keep a quote book, and I picked this up in San Francisco in 2005. Graffiti on the wall as we passed by on the BART. I think of it often, and it's more timely now.   I'm paying attention, I'm listening, and I support the need to be recognized.  Black Lives Matter. And Happy Pride Month.