Stonewall 1969: We are Believers, Fighters, and Lovers
Meyer, Derek
Synopsis "Stonewall 1969: We are Believers, Fighters, and Lovers"
In 2020 people are still fighting against racism and discrimination of African Americans in the United States and members of the LGBTQ community remember a time in their life when all their happy endings were stolen until Stonewall 1969 happened. Vogue Magazine recently published a feature about the 20 milestones, which defined the LGBTQ rights movement, but things really changed for us when members of the LGBTQ community had enough and decided to fight back against cops on Christopher Street in New York City on that night in June 1969. "Stonewall 1969" tells the story of heroes standing up against the government and police enforcement not just on that significant night in summer 1969, but also the years before and after the Stonewall Uprising. The author's new book takes its readers on an exciting journey; it remembers the dark times before the Stonewall Riots when gay people found themselves being harassed and arrested by cops, prosecuted and imprisoned, fired from jobs, and disowned by families. But the book also celebrates, how much the community has achieved since then and how relevant it is to continue this fight in times of the Trump/Pence Presidency. "Stonewall 1969" will also continue with Derek Meyer's and Josh Fenton's story, whose lives were significantly impacted by the riots. And while the book discusses the question, if the good always wins and if there are happy endings for us out there, it reminds the rest of us of the importance of believing, fighting, and loving in life. What does "Stonewall 1969" make so special in these times when we can invent an app, start a blog, and sell stuff online. But if we are writers then we need to have that one book, and if it is real enough and honest enough and if it reflects everything that made us, where we come from, who we knew and the history of our community then we may have a chance connecting with everyone else. And maybe that's our ticket to everything, and perhaps that's what this book "Stonewall 1969" stands for.
