2019 sees the 50-year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in the US which are seen as the key moments in the beginning of the fight for LGBTQ rights.
In PRIDE Matthew Todd documents the milestones in the fight for LGBTQ+ equality – from the victories of early activists, to the gradual acceptance of the LGBTQ+ communities in politics, entertainment, sport and the media, and the passing of legislation barring discrimination. It spans seminal moments and key figures, events and breakthroughs of the movement with reproduction of rare images and documents.
Todd draws together the individual stories and moving personal testimonies from key figures such as David Furnish, Maureen Duffy, Paris Lees, Bisi Alimi, Will Young and Reverend Troy Perry.
In June 1969, police raided New York gay bar the Stonewall Inn, and the LGBTQ+ equality movement was born. PRIDE charts the events of that night in New York, the days and nights of rioting that followed, the ensuing organisation of local members of the community – and the 50 years since in which activists and ordinary people have dedicated their lives to reversing the global position.
Todd says; “If we really want to honour the people who fought at the Stonewall Inn on that unusually hot June night in 1969, then we need to defend those hard-won rights and confront anything that threatens the free and stable societies protecting them. Those who wish to control others or have an interest in the status quo will tell you that protest never achieves anything. I hope this book assures you that protest can achieve a great deal, and that when people act together they have true power – and that sometimes using that power is absolutely necessary.”
Matthew Todd is the multi-award winning author of Straight Jacket (2016) which was described as “an essential read for every gay person on the planet” by Sir Elton John, as “utterly brilliant” by Owen Jones in The Guardian and was awarded Boyz Best LGBT book of 2017.
He was editor of Attitude magazine between 2008 – 2016 where he secured Prince William as cover star, the first time a member of the British Royal Family has featured on the cover of a gay magazine. Matthew writes for The Guardian, Evening Standard, Observer and has presented two films for BBC Newsnight.
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