Hinsegin dagar í Reykjavík - 01.08.2014, Qupperneq 23

Stonewall Uprising

Heimildarmynd / Documentary
Kvikmyndasýning í boði Sendiráðs Bandaríkjanna á Íslandi
Film screening supported by the Embassy of the United States of America in Iceland
Heimildarmyndin Stonewall Uprising fjallar um einstaka viðburði
sem höfðu djúpstæð áhrif á mannréttindabaráttu hinsegin fólks á
heimsvísu. Þann 28. júní 1969 gerði lögreglan í New York tilraun
til að loka hommabarnum Stonewall í Greenwich Village í New
York og handtaka gesti staðarins. Í kjölfarið tók við uppreisn og
mótmæli á götum úti þar sem hinsegin fólk barðist gegn aðförum
yfirvalda og krafðist réttarbóta. Myndin er sögð frá sjónarhorni
þátttakenda – dragdrottninga, vændisstráka og lögreglumanna
– blaðamanna og fyrrverandi borgarstjóra New York borgar
og varpar ljósi á sögulegan viðburð sem gerðist á tímum þegar
hinsegin athæfi var ólöglegt í flestum ríkjum Bandaríkjanna.
Stonewall Uprising explores the dramatic event that launched
a worldwide rights movement. When police raided a Mafia-run
gay bar in Greenwich Village, the Stonewall Inn, on June 28,
1969, gay men and women did something they had not done
before: they fought back. As the streets of New York erupted
into violent protests and street demonstrations, the collective
anger announced that the gay rights movement had arrived.
Told by those who took part, from drag queens and street
hustlers to police detectives, journalists, and a former mayor
of New York, and featuring a rich trove of archival footage,
this film revisits a time when homosexual acts were illegal
throughout America, and homosexuality itself was seen as a
form of mental illness.
Message from the U.S. Embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires Paul O’Friel to the
People of Reykjavik and Visitors to Reykjavik Pride 2014
My first introduction to Iceland was marching in the Reykjavik Pride 2013
parade. I was struck by the tens of thousands of Icelanders of all ages lining
the parade route to show support for the LGBT community.

Reykjavik Pride is one of Iceland’s biggest festivals, underscoring Iceland’s
international reputation as a leader in LGBT rights. However, 45 years ago,
the world was a different place, and prejudice was widespread. The Stonewall
Riots in New York City’s Greenwich Village in June 1969 changed all that.
While gays and lesbians in the United States had been organizing to fight for
their rights as full and equal citizens for at least two decades before Stonewall,
it took the outrage over the police raid on the Stonewall Inn to launch a
movement that would spread around the world. One year later, the world’s
first Pride Parade took place in New York City.

Stonewall is considered the single most important event leading to the gay
liberation movement and the fight for LGBT rights in the United States and
around the world. According to LGBT rights activist Virginia Apuzzo, "In every
gay pride parade, every year, Stonewall lives." We celebrate that spirit by
participating in the Reykjavik Pride Parade. We also honor that history with
a screening of the documentary “Stonewall Uprising,” which traces the Pride
tradition back to that history-changing week in New York City in 1969.

As we mark the victories of the LGBT rights movement, it is important to remember that in many countries around the world,
people risk their safety and lives by participating in a Pride event. As U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry recently observed
“In many places around the world…LGBT individuals and their allies are harassed, arrested, and even killed because of who
they are and the work they do. Governments are enacting laws that discriminate against LGBT individuals and their allies and
restrict their fundamental human rights.”

Iceland is just one of nine countries to join with the United States in the Global Equality Fund to protect and promote the
human rights of LGBT individuals around the world. We value this partnership with Iceland. Together with private sector
partners, the fund is working with civil society organizations in more than 50 countries to create an environment in which LGBT
persons can live freely and without discrimination.

While much serious work remains to be done, this week is a time to celebrate how far the LGBT movement has come since
Stonewall 1969. Happy Reykjavik Pride 2014!
As we mark 45 years since the patrons of the Stonewall Inn defied an
unjust policy and awakened a nascent movement, let us honor every
brave leader who stood up, sat in, and came out, as well as the allies who
supported them along the way. Following their example, let each of us
speak for tolerance, justice, and dignity - because if hearts and minds
continue to change over time, laws will too.
U.S. President Barack Obama, May 30, 2014

Presidential Proclamation -- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender
Pride Month, 2014
Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/USEmbReykjavik
Twitter
http://twitter.com/USEmbReykjavik
The United States and Iceland:
A Shared Commitment to Human Rights and
Fundamental Freedoms for All
Bíó Paradís / Bíó Paradís Cinema
Sunnudaginn 10. ágúst kl.18.00 / Sunday 10 August at 6 p.m.
Aðgangur ókeypis / Free admission
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