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Reclaim Pride Coalition Calls for Civil-Rights Marches to Mark 50th Anniversary of Stonewall

Organizers accuse NYC Pride of selling out to anti-gay billionaire.

Via press release

The Reclaim Pride Coalition (RPC), formed by LGBTQ activists in early 2018 to protest the alleged corporatization and gross mismanagement of NYC Pride by Heritage of Pride (HOP), is calling for a civil-rights march on the 50th anniversary of the historic Stonewall Rebellion.

On June 30, 2019, RPC along with other activist and community groups from around NYC, the nation and the world, will march in the spirit of the Stonewall Rebellion, celebrating the best of the community — a March that acknowledges both the struggles it’s overcome as well as those it still faces in this country and abroad.

The call-to-action comes on the heels of HOP’s announcement at internal planning meetings that it is strongly considering the Barclays Center as the site for the 2019 WorldPride Opening Ceremony. The Brooklyn-based arena is managed by AEG, the company owned by homophobic billionaire Philip Anschutz, who has donated millions of dollars to anti-LGBTQ organizations and politicians since 1992.

Despite a couple of token contributions to LGBTQ organizations, Anschutz’s extensive and ongoing history of donations is hateful. Among the donations Anschutz has made are $50,000 in 2016 to Dare 2 Share Ministries whose CEO referred to homosexuality in a 2008 blog post as a “Satanic perversion.” Other frequent beneficiaries of Anschutz’s wealth include the Family Research Council, the National Christian Foundation, and the Alliance Defending Freedom, all of which staunchly oppose LGBTQ rights. And Anschutz is still giving millions to a long list of homophobic, right-wing politicians.

“Heritage of Pride has a long track record of sucking up to corporations at the expense of those who live and died for LGBTQ+ liberation, but HOP potentially funding our own political enemies, by renting out a property that homophobe Philip Anschutz’s company manages, sinks to a new low, especially on the 50th anniversary of Stonewall,” said Brandon Cuicchi from the Reclaim Pride Coalition.

RPC announced the Stonewall 50 Human Rights and Social Justice March with the following vision:

• A celebration of the hard fought victories of the last half century
• A commitment to the ongoing fight for LGBTQIATS+ rights worldwide
• A March that highlights the most marginalized members of our community
• A protest that recognizes the powerful legacy of the Stonewall Rebellion
• A March that welcomes all – “off the sidewalks, into the streets”

Reclaim Pride Coalition is calling for groups and individuals everywhere to sign up and endorse their vision for a 2019 Stonewall 50 Human Rights and Social Justice March.

“LGBTQ+ resistance and liberation are woven through the decades-long history of Pride, and we must honor that and continue the fight on the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion,” said longtime activist and Reclaim Pride Coalition member Ann Northrop. “Every day brings news of attacks on our LGBTQ+ communities here and around the world. We must redouble our fight for human rights and social justice for ourselves and for everyone.”

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