Tales of the City.

Armistead Maupin talks about The Days of Anna Madrigal, the last Tales of the City novel, his Republican beginnings and his plans for life after Tales.

“Anna Madrigal is a good person by the time we meet her at the beginning of Tales, and I had to go back and find out what it was that created this person, that created the possibility of this person. And darkness was required.”

Lessons In How to Deal With Myths.

One of Harvey Milk’s greatest skills was to deal with the claims of the right wing with humour.

“It is humour, not anger, that controlled the situation. It is an interesting lesson at a time when there is a backlash against the equal marriage movement.”

In Honour of A True Populist and Revolutionary.

Today, May 22, is Harvey Milk Day. Polari Magazine honours his memory in an article that explores why he was such an important figure in the fight for gay rights.

“What Milk achieved between 1975 and his assassination in November 1978 changed the history of the gay rights movement irrevocably.”

Save California Promotes Fear and Prejudice.

A pro-family, right wing group called Save California is trying to scare parents into making sure their kids stay at home on May 22, Harvey Milk Day.

“The historian John D’Emilio said on the twentieth anniversary of Milk’s assassination, ‘The legacy that I think he would want to be remembered for is the imperative to live one’s life at all times with integrity’.”

Key Dates in the Queer Calendar

As LGBT History Month 2012 ends Tim Bennett-Goodman takes a sideways look at queer history.

“To my mind, modern queer history, in the British Isles and Ireland at least, begins in 1885 with the Criminal Law Amendment Act, and most particularly the pernicious Section 11 or Labouchere Amendment (named after the MP who introduced it) designed to prosecute male homosexuals for acts of ‘gross indecency’.”

The 2010 Candlelit Vigil to mark International Day against Hate Crime.

A year after the first Candlelit Vigil, David Watters celebrates the work that has been done.

These vigils of both HOPE and REMEMBRANCE unify and galvanise ALL individuals and communities who share a vision to eradicate bigoted behaviour and, through showing support for ALL victims of Hate Crime, publicly assert that together they will no longer be ineffective minorities but instead a powerful and united voice to affect change in London and the wider world.

October 2010 Candlelit Vigil against Hate Crime.

Remembering victims of hate-crime, at Trafalgar Square in Central London.

In order for us to effectively tackle prejudice-based crimes we all must engage in actions which address discriminatory attitudes in every area of our society.

Timeline of 2009 LGBT Anniversaries, Part 3 of 4

In the forty years since the Stonewall riots, and the emergence of the gay liberation movement, a process of historical archaeology has been underway. Its aim has been to make the hidden past visible. This timeline of anniversaries is a look into what we now know of this hidden past, and also the revealed present..

1969, The Stonewall Riots. In the early hours of June 28, police raided the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street. The patrons of the bar fought back.

[rating=4]
US: 83 min • Verve Pictures • DVD

This documentary about the career of Harvey Milk is fascinating and compelling, as well as being essential viewing.

“The Times of Harvey Milk is an honourable and fitting tribute; and not just to the man, but the very idea of him and what he stood for. It is about his part in a movement, a candidacy. If every movement needs a martyr to remind it of its ideals, and what it can be, such a figure is to be found in Harvey Milk.”