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For Immediate Release
June, 28 2013, 01:44pm EDT
Contact:
Diana Duarte, Media Coordinator,Phone: +1 212 627 0444,Email:,media@madre.org
The Long Walk to Freedom: Statement on the Anniversary of Stonewall
WASHINGTON
Today, on the anniversary of the Stonewall riot that lit the spark of the gay and transgender civil rights movement here in the United States, MADRE takes a moment to pause and reflect on the momentous Supreme Court decision that struck down the legally enshrined inequality of the Defense of Marriage Act, and the change we see sweeping across not just one nation, but the entire world.
MADRE is based in New York City, just a few miles from the Stonewall Bar. We were founded by a courageous group of women who recognized that the oppression and inequality they faced was a mirror image of the oppression and inequality so many others faced worldwide. Today we stand on the shoulders of those women, and the view is very different.
Today, we and our family members, friends and colleagues have rights we did not have only a few days ago, and beyond the respect and dignity of being equal under the law, the security those rights afford to all of us, and our families, is tangible and real.
As we celebrate these victories with all our hearts, we see the work still to be done. In May, our New York City community was shaken when two gay men were attacked in Midtown, then another was murdered in the West Village, only to be followed by another assault in the same neighborhood.
In Haiti, we are supporting our partners as they cautiously, and at great risk to their own safety, begin to build a movement for equality in the face of brutal violence against those whose sexual orientations or gender identities do not conform to a narrow standard.
When President Obama spoke hopefully of the future of equality while visiting Senegal this week and of the inspiration he draws from the example set by former South African President Nelson Mandela, Senegal President Macky Sall stated publicly that he has no intention of de-criminalizing homosexuality in his own country, where being gay can result in imprisonment and torture.
As our thoughts are with Mandela now, whose country legalized equal marriage in 2006, we draw strength and hope from his words:
I am not truly free if I am taking away someone else's freedom, just as surely as I am not free when my freedom is taken from me. The oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity.
This week, we have seen some of our humanity restored. To ensure that our humanity, equality and rights are kept safe across the globe, the struggle continues.
To find out more about MADRE's work on LGBT rights in Haiti, click here.
MADRE is an international women's human rights organization that partners with community-based women's groups to advance women's human rights, challenge injustice and create social change in contexts of war, conflict, disaster and their aftermath. MADRE advocates for a world in which all people enjoy individual and collective human rights; natural resources are shared equitably and sustainably; women participate effectively in all aspects of society; and all people have a meaningful say in policies that affect their lives. For more information about MADRE, visit www.madre.org.
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Fine, who has the endorsement of President-elect Donald Trump in his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives, called himself the "Hebrew Hammer" in a post on X on Tuesday and suggested Reps. Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Omar (D-Minn.) should leave office for their own safety.
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The Council on American-Islamic Relations, which has spoken out previously about anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim statements by Fine (R-19), called the lawmaker an "unhinged anti-Muslim bigot."
His apparent threat of violence "must be investigated by state and federal law enforcement authorities and condemned by both Democratic and Republican Party leadership," said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, national deputy executive director of CAIR. "President-elect Donald Trump, in particular, should denounce Mr. Fine's remarks and the Florida Republican Party should expel him."
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Despite rainy conditions, the United American Indians of New England held its 55th annual National Day of Mourning at Cole's Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Kisha James, who is an enrolled member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) and also Oglala Lakota, shared how her grandfather founded the event in 1970 and pledged to continue to "tear down the Thanksgiving mythology."
"The past influences the present" and "the settler project" continues with racism, misogyny, and anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, James told the crowd. "The Pilgrims are not ancient history."
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Jean-Luc Pierite, a member of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana and president of the board of directors of the North American Indian Center of Boston who helped organize this year's gathering, toldUSA Today that "while we are mourning some tragic history but also contemporary issues, we are also expressing gratitude for each [other] and building this community space."
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arrested 21 pro-Palestinian protesters who blocked the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade route.
According toABC 7:
For the second year in a row, the group ran in front of the Ronald McDonald float to briefly stop the parade.
This year, they jumped the barricades at West 55th Street just after 9:30 am.
Many sat on the ground, locking arms and chanting "Free, free Palestine!"
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Video footage shared on social media shows members of the New York Police Department grabbing protesters and their banner, and throwing at least one person face-first into the road.
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NDN Collective said that "as Indigenous peoples, we reject colonial holidays rooted in the genocidal erasure of our existence. We demand #LANDBACK to reclaim sovereignty, repair ties with Mother Earth, and protect Indigenous ways of life—honoring them for generations to come."
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"Our history books mark 'the first Thanksgiving' in 1621 when at least 90 Wampanoag men, led by Massasoit, walked in on a Puritan harvest feast," Beyal detailed. "Approximately 150 years later, all 13 colonies celebrated a day of solemn Thanksgiving to celebrate the win of the Battle of Saratoga in December of 1777. [U.S. President] George Washington called for a day of thanksgiving and prayer in 1789 to give gratitude for the end of the Revolutionary War."
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Israel imposed a last-minute curfew on Wednesday night, prohibiting Lebanese citizens from crossing into the south overnight.
The IDF then accused Hezbollah of violating the cease-fire, announcing on Thursday: "Over the past hour, several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the cease-fire. The IDF opened fire toward them."
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