Gay rights movement has roots in Kansas City – KMBC Kansas City

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TAPESTRY. THAT’S ALWAYS LAYING THERE, BUT NOBODY. PICKED IT UP AND FOLLOWED IT UNTIL STUART HINES DID HE’S THE CURATOR OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND ARCHIVES AT UMKC AND THE CO-FOUNDER OF THE GAY AND LESBIAN ARCHIVE OF MID-AMERICA. IT IS NEW HISTORY. I MEAN, IT’S IT’S NEW TO US THAT THREAD BEGINS NEAR LINWOOD AND TROOST. MORE THAN 60 YEARS AGO. IT WAS A MUCH SAFER SCENE HERE. AND SO THERE WERE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT GAY BARS IN TOWN THAT SCENE INCLUDES THE FORMER JEWEL. LOUNGE WHICH HELD WORLD-FAMOUS DRAG SHOWS. THANK YOU. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN HERE. I AM AGAIN RAY. AND DREW SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN THE COUNTRY. HE RECORDED THIS ALBUM AT THE TOOLBOX. IT’S ACTUALLY LIVE RECORDING FROM 1964. IT WAS IN PART BECAUSE OF THAT WELCOMING SOCIAL SCENE SOME OF THE FIRST GAY RIGHTS LEADERS CAME TO KANSAS CITY IN FEBRUARY OF 1966. IT WAS THE FIRST GATHERING OF NATIONAL GAY AND CIVIL GAY AND LESBIAN CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS. IN HISTORY IN THIS COUNTRY, THERE’S NOW A HISTORICAL MARKER NEAR WHERE THE STATE HOTEL ONCE STOOD DOWNTOWN. WHERE THE NORTH AMERICAN CONFERENCE OF HOMOPHILE ORGANIZATIONS WAS FOUNDED IN THE HISTORY OF THIS COMMUNITY. IT’S IT’S A MAJOR MILESTONE. AND IT HAPPENED HERE AND NOBODY EVER TALKED ABOUT IT BEFORE WE EVEN HAVE AUDIO OF THAT 1966 MEETING WHERE WE CAN HEAR FROM A YOUNG KANSAS CITY WITHIN WEEKS SCHAFER WOULD GO ON TO CREATE THE FIRST GAY AND LESBIAN ADVOCACY GROUP IN KANSAS CITY THE PHOENIX WHICH BECAME THE NATIONAL CLEARING HOUSE FOR THE ENTIRE MOVEMENT WITH SCHAEFER PRINTING MAGAZINES FOR ORGANIZATIONS NATION. WIDE YEARS BEFORE STONEWALL THE THING THAT’S IMPORTANT ABOUT STONEWALL. IS THAT IT WAS REALLY A FLASHPOINT IN THIS MOVEMENT EVERYTHING CHANGED ON JUNE 28TH, 1969. THE UPRISING SHOWED A MORE MILITANT APPROACH WORKED AND NEW ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE GAY LIBERATION FRONT PUSHED OUT OTHERS LIKE THE PHOENIX, BUT THOSE FIRST ORGANIZATIONS HELPED LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR OUR WORLD. IT WAS THOSE RELATIONSHIPS THAT WERE DEVELOPED DURING THOSE 20 YEARS THAT ALLOWED THE GAY LIBERATION FRONT TO BUILD ON AGAIN THOSE CONNECTIONS AND AND MOVE FORWARD AND THE WORK BEING DONE HERE TO PRESERVE THESE STORIES MEANS WE CAN FINALLY ADD TO THIS VERY IMPORTANT AND MOSTLY UNKNOWN CHAPTER OF OUR CITY’S HISTORY. THAT’S WHAT’S BEEN. REALLY EXCITING ABOUT ESTABLISHING THIS ARCHIVE. IS BRINGING THESE STORIES T

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