Stonewall: 50 Years Out – 2019
Stonewall: 50 Years Out was a historical exhibition created by Central Library’s Local History & Genealogy Division, in partnership with key stakeholders in the LGBTQ+ community and the community-at-large.
The exhibition (on view in 2019) demonstrated how the Stonewall uprising activated local LGBTQ+ communities to advance human rights in an ongoing revolution that expands Rochester’s social reform legacy. The exhibition was part of a year-long community-wide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the uprising at the Stonewall Inn in New York City on June 28, 1969 which launched the modern gay liberation movement.
The project was led by City Historian and Library Historical Services Consultant Christine Ridarsky and guided by community partners representing the diversity of the local LGBTQ+ community, including: the City of Rochester; Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County; Rochester Black Pride; University of Rochester Libraries Dept. of Rare Books, Special Collections & Preservation; RIT; RMSC; SUNY Brockport; Out Alliance; Landmark Society of Western NY; Presbytery of the Genesee Valley; Third Presbyterian Church More Light Committee.
Presenting Sponsors: Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County; Friends & Foundation of the Rochester Public Library (FFRPL)/Anthony Mascioli Fund and Equality Fund for Humanity & Enlightenment; and Trillium Health/Dr. William Valenti & James Wolk.
Supporters: Asbury First United Methodist Church, Larry Champoux, Dixon Schwabl, Human Rights Campaign, Humanities New York, Landmark Society of Western New York, Third Presbyterian Church.
Media Sponsors: WXXI, Rochester Business Journal, The Empty Closet of the Out Alliance, and City Newspaper.
