And welcome back friends to wake up
on this Monday. I'm Baker, Pacho,
and now I'm
thanks for joining us.
So,
June is World Pride Month and I recently had the opportunity to learn more
about one of the key turning points in the fight for LGBT Q equality,
all the historic Stonewall Inn.
That's where the gay rights movement began more than 50 years ago.
And I sat down with the owner of the LA now landmark location
right here in New York City. Take a look at this,
such a pleasure to have you here, especially outside of this historic location.
Let's talk about the Stonewall, the birthplace of the LGBTQ movement.
What does it mean to sort of be a part of this as one of the owners of this location?
So it's, it's such a responsibility, right?
You've got to carry on this tremendous legacy.
Like we're literally standing on the shoulders of Giants,
partners, Kurt Kelly, Bill Morgan and Tony de
Chico. And I, we don't take it lightly.
There's such a responsibility to not only keep that bar going but keep the
fight that started right here in 1969 alive and spread it around the globe.
Yes. Absolutely.
Especially given the fact that it was, you know,
trans women of color that started this movement, which is so important, we know,
because the pandemic,
it's tough now running businesses, not even just like historical locations,
but just businesses in general.
How have you sort of seen the business evolve and change this? Yes.
I think it's a whole different world. Right.
I mean, first of all, people don't stay out as late.
I think we all got used to kind of like going to bed by 11 and living in our pajamas.
So a lot of people don't go out for the late nights anymore.
And I think because folks aren't back in the office that a lot of people,
particularly here in Manhattan,
happy hours are slow.
There's no after work events, things of that nature, but weekends are great
and we know Stonewall is one of the
original safe spaces and it's so important for people
to keep continuing to come out and visit us so we can keep this historic place alive.
On the note of it being a historic place in 2016,
the Obama administration designated this a historical landmark.
I mean,
it's incredible when you walk out the front and you see that right in the front.
What did that moment sort of mean for you guys to have that
design?
So when we all work with the Obama administration to kind
of make that happen it's really the first LGBT Q National Monument
in the entire US.
So we like to say that we're as tall as
the Statue of Liberty and wide as the Grand Canyon.
But this right where we're sitting is part of the monument, right?
This is really this park and then the front of
the stone wall and this block in this area.
It was just so important,
I think to tell LGBT Q stories because LGBT Q stories are American stories.
So it made sense for this designation for us. And I think it meant
for
folks all over the world,
an opportunity to have their stories told through the parks department,
which is incredible.
And you feel that history just sitting in this park right now,
let's talk about this initiative that you guys are doing.
Stonewall gives back. What's this all about? Yeah.
So ever since we purchased the bar in 2006,
we've always had a giving back community component.
We hosted tons of fundraisers,
nonprofit events for different organizations in 2017.
So many
folks
were coming to us because they wanted to be part of stone
50 which is going to happen in 2019.
And we said,
why not form our own nonprofit and really focus on taking that legacy to the places,
spaces and spaces that need it the most.
So we focus on grassroots organizations all over the globe and places like Uganda,
Iraq here in America, places like Tennessee, Texas where these horrific, you know,
550 bills that are being launched at the state
later are happening.
So we really want to go in and work with grassroots activists on the ground fighting,
fighting for our rights all over the globe.
You mentioned all of this does pride sort of have a special meaning this year
because of all of the anti LGBTQ bills that we're seeing all over the country.
I think pride in general is going to take on a huge different meaning this year.
It's not going to be so much of a celebration.
We're going back to our roots and making it a protest.
We're hosting an event on June 1st where
we're really saying the community is under attack
and Stone Mall means fight back and inviting press and performers
and also folks from those particular states to come talk about
what they need to do and what's it like?
Really fighting on that grass roots level on the ground, right?
That's what we need to do. What does Pride Month mean to you personally?
Yeah.
Pride Month means to me personally, the ability to be authentically myself, right?
I grew up in a small conservative Christian town in a corn field camp
and here I am in New York City where I can be myself.
I certainly couldn't be myself back then.
So pride means to me being myself, celebrating my community,
celebrating my chosen family, but it still does mean protest.
It really does have that it started in activism.
I love my activist side and my activist family.
So it's about fighting for our rights while
being visible and not letting folks take away joy
no matter how much we're under attack.
And uh
yeah, thank you so much.
And of course, uh the Stonewall Inn in many other big locations uh for gay uh for,
for pride this year at gay bars giving
back to a lot of organizations and communities,
be it the human rights organization or the Ally for
Center or others?
Because when we see so many of these
corporations be a bud Light or target getting targeted
at the end of the day, you have to give back to the community.
And that's what a lot of these bars are doing that a lot of
the corporations aren't and Stone Wallace had
set such a precedence for decades now,
such an iconic bar.
Absolutely
great.