AARP Marks 40TH Anniversary of Stonewall Riots With Launch of Exclusive Multimedia Report On Its Lasting Impact and America’s 50+ LGBT Community
Source: AARP Press Center | 2009-06-24
June 24, 2009
Contacts:
Media Relations
202-434-2560
media@aarp.org
AARP Marks 40TH Anniversary of Stonewall Riots With Launch of Exclusive Multimedia Report On Its Lasting Impact and America’s 50+ LGBT Community
WASHINGTON – To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, a defining moment for the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender (LGBT) movement, AARP today announced the launch of a multiplatform media campaign consisting of exclusive new online, television, radio and print content that includes contributions from many of the nation’s most prominent and outspoken members of the LGBT communities (available online at www.aarp.org/stonewall).
The exclusive online interactive features will include interviews and quotes from prominent leaders and 50+ members of the LGBT community including Martina Navratilova, Bishop Gene Robinson, Frank Kameny (gay rights movement pioneer), Joe Solmonese (President of the Human Rights Campaign), Michael Adams (Executive Director of SAGE (Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders)), Kate Clinton (celebrated humorist and author), Sabrina Sojourner (the first openly Lesbian African-American to hold the title of U.S. Representative for Washington, D.C.), John Cepek, National President of PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), David Carter (author of Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution), Martin Duberman (author of Stonewall), Eric Marcus (author of Making History: The Struggle for Gay and Lesbian Equal Rights, 1945-1990), Michele Balan (comedian and finalist on “Last Comic Standing”), among others.
AARP TV will broadcast an episode of its national lifestyle program My Generation called “Stonewall: Milestone Remembered” and AARP Radio will feature an interview with Frank Kameny.
“AARP is a trusted resource and advocate for all American’s 50+ and that includes LGBT Americans,” said Dave Singleton, Director of Planning and Promotions at AARP Publications. “At AARP, we always reflect on the historical moments that changed our members’ lives and, for many of our members, the Stonewall Riots marked a pivotal moment in the fight for equality.”
Additional exclusive features on www.aarp.org/stonewall include:
* “Stonewall: Milestone Remembered,” a video report including a walking tour of the Stonewall site, as well as interviews with LGBT leaders, historians, authors, and Stonewall riot participants.
* An online photo timeline of LGBT history since AARP was founded in 1958, including the Stonewall Riots.
* Q&A’s with prominent LGBT figures Bishop Gene Robinson and political humorist Kate Clinton.
* Several articles in AARP’s publications (AARP The Magazine, AARP Bulletin, and AARP Segunda Juventud) addressing LGBT aging concerns and a first-person essay on the significance of the Stonewall Riots to an LGBT boomer about to turn 50.
* “Hispanics and the Fight for LGBT Civil Rights,” a special online feature on AARP Segunda Juventud’s, Web site.
* AARP Radio interview with civil rights pioneer Frank Kameny, now 84.
* Quotes from LGBT 50+ leaders about Stonewall.
* Interactive features on what visitors think of prominent LGBT figures. Who is most influential? Who’s done extraordinary things in the past 40 years, since Stonewall?
* A link to AARP’s LGBT online social network.
* “Coming Out at 50;” one man’s personal story.
* Original video features including “Stonewall: Milestone Remembered” and “A Conversation with Martina Navratilova.”
About AARP
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine with over 35.5 million readers; AARP Bulletin and AARP Bulletin Today, the go-to daily news source for AARP's 40 million members and Americans 50+; AARP Segunda Juventud, the only bilingual U.S. publication and multimedia brand dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
