STONEWALL EXHIBIT HIGHLIGHTS LGBT HISTORY MONTH

Photo by Jennifer Bonauer on Unsplash

(CORPUS CHRISTI) – To commemorate LGBT History Month in October, the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History will feature an exhibit entitled 50 Years: The Stonewall Uprising” curated by the Stonewall National Museum and Archives (SNMA) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  The exhibit is located in the McGregor Studio and will be on display today through the end of the month.

The SNMA describes the exhibition thusly:

In June 1969, riots at the Stonewall Inn in New York’s Greenwich Village are generally cited as the starting point of the LGBTQ rights movement, but the facts are considerably more nuanced and even disputed. Then referred to as the Gay and Lesbian Rights Movement, the LGBTQ rights movement had been steadily, if slowly, growing during the 1960s. Arguably, the first widely noted times gay bar patrons fought back against police harassment took place in California years before the Stonewall riots. Media coverage immediately after the Stonewall uprising was minimal. Yet within a year, the first gay pride marches had taken place and gay activist organizations had sprung up. The era of LGBTQ liberation was about to dawn. This exhibition looks at the who, what and where of those June nights in an attempt to understand why the Stonewall riots became the catalytic movement in the effort to secure equal rights for LGBTQ Americans.

Wienerschnitzel of Corpus Christi is sponsoring a special $2 admission day on Saturday, October 9, to maximize the opportunity for the public to learn about the people and the events that shaped the LGBT rights movement over the last 50 years. Museum hours for the special discount day are from 10 AM to 5 PM. Attendees can pre-purchase tickets online at ccmuseum.com/Pride. The C.C. Museum is located on 1900 N. Chaparral Street.

 “We are grateful to the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History and Wienerschnitzel for bringing the Stonewall Exhibit to the community during LGBT History Month,” said Tom Tagliabue, President of the Mosaic Project of South Texas, which puts on PRIDE in Corpus Christi. “The LGBTQIA+ community has come a long way in our fight for equality, respect and dignity. Honoring our pioneers, our leaders will educate and enlighten the public about our shared values and our continued struggle for full equality.” 

Carol Rehtmeyer, Executive Director of the Corpus Christi Museum said the museum embraces the value of inclusivity and aims to share the importance of diverse groups and cultures through incredible exhibits such as this one. “Telling stories of triumph, of strife, of challenge is very important to us and our mission,” Rehtmeyer said. “It’s important to share history through these stories to educate and engage the public.”

The Museum welcomes all to celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month with the grand opening of this amazing exhibit in honor of the LGBTQ+ community’s past, present, and future. The Museum will also be selling three styles of PRIDE socks in its Gift Shop for $10.

With the support of Wells Fargo and other donors, SNMA share exhibition with venues and organizations throughout the United States. Using its Archives and Library as resources for information, SNMA is committed to the distribution of historically accurate information that affirms and uplifts the history and culture of LGBTQ people and promotes diversity, equity and inclusion as the means to a pluralistic society.

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