Love, Activism, Pride, and Community

Good morning, all.

I had a post on new magazines planned to publish today, but I am setting it aside for now. Because of the affinity that FIT has always had for the LGBT community, and the importance of New York City in their struggle for equal civil rights, I feel that Pride Month must be celebrated here as well.

Many of you know that the Gay Pride movement began just down 7th avenue from FIT, June 28, 1969, when the police raided a bar called the Stonewall Inn. This place has become a landmark where people gather to celebrate or commiserate important occasions. The shooting in Orlando, FL, on Sunday June 12, at the Pulse nightclub brought New Yorkers to this spot by the hundreds.

6/27/2016: I think it worthy to add this note: On Friday, June 24, President Obama declared that the Stonewall Inn, Christopher Park across the street, and several of the connecting streets where protests spilled out from the bar itself.

Stonewall Inn Named National Monument (NYT)

Daily Beast coverage of the Vigil at Stonewall Inn

Daily News coverage of Stonewall Inn Vigil

President and Vice President pay Respects in Orlando

Along with the rest of the country, we mourn the deaths of these innocent people.

Vigil at Stonewall Inn, West Village NYC, evening of June 12, 2016

And what I’ve found myself humming under my breath all week:

If you or your friends need more information about the annual Pride March in Manhattan, you can check it out, as well as other related events here:

NYC Pride

We cannot quantify the involvement of the LBGT community with the fashion and arts communities, but a quick look through our catalog suggests the importance of fashion as a means of camouflaging or demonstrating one’s identity. Conversely, involvement of so many LBGT people also suggests that these are the people at the heart of our fashionable identities.

Not surprisingly, then, we have books on homosexuality, transgender, and fashion. The most recent in-depth study remains the exhibition catalog for the Museum at FIT’s 2013 exhibition,

“A Queer History of Fashion”

by Valerie Steele.  5th floor, Main Stacks, TT507 .Q622

But there are others:

Art and Queer Culture, by Catherine Lord. 5th floor, Main Stacks, N72 .H64 L67

Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, by Susan Kuklin. 5th floor, Main Stacks, HQ77.9 K85

The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle, by Lillian Faderman. 5th floor, Main Stacks, HQ76.8 .U5 F33

Hypermasculine Dress: Self-preservations in Queer Male Culture, by George Veale. 5th floor, Main Stacks, HQ1090 .V42. Also available electronically

Queer, edited by David Getsy. 5th floor, Main Stacks, NX180 .H6 Q44

Queer Style, by Adam Geczy, 5th floor, Main Stacks, GT525 .G43

Picturing the Closet: Male Secrecy and Homosexual Visibility in Britain, by Dominic Janes. 5th floor, Main Stacks, N72 .H64 J36

There are more, so please stop by and take a look!

Just to end on a more cheerful note for the beginning of summer, it turns out that Gay Pride playlists have become a Thing. Here are several fun ones:

Time Out New York’s “50 Best Gay Songs”

Popcrush’s “10 Gay Pride Anthems”

Huffington Post’s “Gay Pride Playlist”

A personal favorite to get your weekend going!