A Different Kind Of Pride: Perspectives On 50 Years Of Celebration, Part 2
We asked music writers in the LGBTQ+ community to reflect on the relationship between celebration, protest, music and LGBTQ+ activism. Barry Walters writes about pandemics, privilege and disco.
2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the first Pride march, in recognition of the Stonewall uprising of 1969. Since then, Pride has evolved: from that small commemoration to community gatherings in progressive enclaves like New York and San Francisco to corporate-sponsored parades and ticketed events across all 50 states; from a space where people on the margins created fragile alliances to a mainstream festivity.
Music has always played a crucial role in the movement for LGBTQ+ rights, as gay clubs and dancefloors provided space for queer people to come alive through movement and artists pushed social boundaries with the power of performance (through camp and showmanship or simply by writing a damn good song
