Saturday, June 8
11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Military Park
The fact that an event intended to commemorate a historic street battle during which LGBTQ people collectively fought back against a coordinated police attack is now “supported” by the police and the forces they protect is neither unique nor irreversible. Progress does not follow a straight line; it is characterized by ups and downs, twists and turns. Ultimately, progress depends on the people’s ability and willingness to unite and fight together.
At this year’s Indy Pride Festival, the Indianapolis Liberation Center, our member-organizations, affiliated groups, organizers, and hopefully you, will bring back the spirit of the heroic Stonewall Rebellion that, for several nights starting on June 27, 1967, marked a turning point in the liberation struggles of all people.
On that night, the oppressed again took history into their own hands. After another routine raid on the Stonewall Inn, the people convened outside on Christopher Street in Manhattan. Against armed police and deputized bigots, they defended the rights of all people to simply exist in public by any means available, using beer bottles, fire, and even parking meters to fight back.
While the uprising was spontaneous, it was also organized. The vanguard those nights were drag queens and trans people who, as a matter of daily survival, collectively developed a range of tactics to defend themselves against bigoted attacks. Others joined the following nights, chanting slogans that still resonate today, like “We want freedom!”
Throughout the festival, make time with your people to stop by the Center’s table so we can build together. Learn about the many fronts we’re fighting on, talk with representatives from our member organizations, get literature and merchandise to learn about and support these ongoing struggles, and share your story and your dreams. Only by connecting as people can we build the unity and strength necessary to create a world where we no longer need to demand freedom!
