#Stonewall was 51 years ago today, yet MI's GOP-led legislature can't even #RecognizeMIPride. They refused to bring my resolution recognizing #PrideMonth to a vote — for the 6th year in a row. But that won’t stop us from recognizing #LGBTQ history ourselves. THREAD: ⬇️ 1/ #mileg
#Stonewall didn't happen in a vacuum, so let’s back up. During the post-WWII Cold War, anti-communist paranoia was high. The 1950s Red Scare was our govt’s witch-hunt to root out suspected communists...& other "subversives." You can guess where this is going. #RecognizeMIPride 2/
#LGBTQ people were considered mentally ill & subversive to society & the family. As they gained visibility, they also became subjects of FBI surveillance under the assumption they were vulnerable to blackmail due to their identities & would help communists. #RecognizeMIPride 3/
This lesser-known Lavender Scare was a witch-hunt to find, interrogate & fire #LGBTQ people. They lost their jobs, homes & families, & some even committed suicide due to this persecution. Back then, I would've been a target — not MI's 1st gay senator. #RecognizeMIPride 4/
Amidst that backdrop, police in the 50s & 60s frequently targeted & raided the ONLY safe spaces #LGBTQ people had: gay bars like NYC's #Stonewall Inn. If police arrested you, newspapers would publish your name & "out" you. #RecognizeMIPride 5/
After being outed, your family could disown you, boss fire you, landlord kick you out — things that are still legal today, since MI can't seem to pass bills like my SB 351 that ban anti-#LGBTQ discrimination. (Looking at you @MISenate & @MI_Republicans. 👀) #RecognizeMIPride 6/
But June 28, 1969 was different. For bars like the #Stonewall Inn that operated without a liquor license, it was common for them to "pay off" police to avoid raids — but the police didn't get their payoff that night. So they raided it. #RecognizeMIPride 7/
The normal routine was for police to turn on the lights, line you up, check everyone's IDs. You'd be groped while being frisked, taken to the bathrooms to have your genitals & sex checked, & then loaded into police wagons. #RecognizeMIPride 8/
Police often targeted transgender people, drag queens, & lesbian women who weren't wearing at least 3 articles of feminine clothing.
But in the early hours of June 28, 1969, the #LGBTQ patrons at #Stonewall were having none of it. #RecognizeMIPride 9/
But in the early hours of June 28, 1969, the #LGBTQ patrons at #Stonewall were having none of it. #RecognizeMIPride 9/
They were tired of police brutality & being subjected to dehumanization & discrimination.
So the #LGBTQ patrons at #Stonewall fought back. They threw pennies, bottles, bricks, trash & parking meter, forcing police to retreat. The riots continued for 6 days. #RecognizeMIPride 10/
So the #LGBTQ patrons at #Stonewall fought back. They threw pennies, bottles, bricks, trash & parking meter, forcing police to retreat. The riots continued for 6 days. #RecognizeMIPride 10/
This rebellion caught on nationwide & MI has its own deep history in continuing this movement.
This is why we mark June as #LGBTQ #PrideMonth. When @MISenate rejects a resolution to #RecognizeMIPride, it tries to erase that history. 11/
This is why we mark June as #LGBTQ #PrideMonth. When @MISenate rejects a resolution to #RecognizeMIPride, it tries to erase that history. 11/
Yes this speech is satire & many found enjoyment from it. But it came from a place of pain that @MISenate only allows me to speak to the dignity of beer & not about the dignity the #LGBTQ community deserves.
I will keep pushing to #RecognizeMIPride. 12/12
I will keep pushing to #RecognizeMIPride. 12/12
(And for those of you who have told me that speech ended with a mic drop, the speech actually ended when I gave the loudest AYE and then slammed the Senate door as I walked out 👋)
