DIGITAL EXHIBIT OF PRIDE
Online museum displays struggle for gay rights
As historical monuments go, there isn’t much of it to see on site, no bronze plaque to read, no place to take a selfie.
But the online Stonewall Forever monument, an interactive tribute to the uprising in Manhattan 50 years ago that sparked the gay rights movement, is filled with enough rich history to make visitors feel like they were there.
Inspired by events that changed America, and a moving tribute to the Stonewall site by former President Barack Obama, curators of the online collection have creatively woven together a timeline of key events complete with photos, recordings and oral histories of the gay pride movement before, during and after the Stonewall riots.
“Stonewall Forever: A Living Monument to 50 Years of Pride” is supported by Google’s non profit and was created in partnership with the National Park Service to help the world connect with LGBTQ history, according to organizers.
The archive, at stonewallforever.org, launches with a dazzling rainbow fountain gushing from a 3D map in the heart of Greenwich Village, where fed up gay bar patrons fought back against years of incessant police harassment.
“Today the legacy of the Stonewall Riots lives on around the world in every pride march and in every member of the LGBTQ community,” a narrator says in the introduction. “This monument lives so we can explore that crucial history and add our own piece to that ever-growing story.”
The monument takes visitors on an interactive trip through “Life Before Stonewall,” “The Stonewall Riots,” “50 Years of Pride” and “Activism Then and Now.”
It even pays tribute to the real-life monument that is part of the National Park Service.
“Back in 1969, as a turbulent decade was winding down, the Stonewall Inn was a popular gathering place for New York City’s LGBT community,” Obama says in an introductory video. “One night police raided the bar and started arresting folks. Raids like these were nothing new, but this time the patrons had had enough. So they stood up and spoke out. The riots became protests. The protests became a movement.”
The online museum helps tell the story of that movement to people all over the world.
Stonewall Forever’s primary goal is to illuminate stories excluded from the narrative of gay and lesbian history, particularly voices from the transgender community, young people and people of color.
A free app is also available for download to provide an immersive augmented reality experience for visitors in Christopher Street Park, which features a sculpture by George Segal honoring the gay rights movement.
Through the website and the app, anyone across the globe can add their own photo and a message.