June is Pride Month, and to celebrate I’ve been using my WTIU PBS Passport member benefit to explore the history of the pride movement and the on-going challenges LGBTQ+ folks still face as they struggle for acceptance and inclusion.
Four years ago, I was strolling around Lower Manhattan between meetings during a work trip to New York. I happened upon the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village and, unaware of its significance in history, was struck by the numerous rainbow flags, signs, and bunting adorning the façade. The historic marker mounted on the brick edifice revealed the story—it was in that very spot, almost exactly fifty years earlier on June 28, 1969, that police raided the bar. Patrons resisted and soon they and other members of the LGBTQ+ community and its allies were leading a full-blown uprising. In the words of that plaque, this uprising “catalyzed the LGBTQ civil rights movement, resulting in increased visibility for the community that continues to resonate in the struggle for equality.”
One year after the riots, the first pride marches were held in several U.S. cities. Today, we continue to commemorate the pride movement during the month of June—the same month that the Stonewall Inn erupted in protests 54 years ago. Join WTIU in honoring Pride Month by tuning in with your PBS Passport member benefit to celebrate the stories of the LGBTQ+ community and culture!
Happy Streaming!
Heather Kogge, Development Coordinator, WTIU/WFIU
You may be surprised, as I was, to learn that the South is home to more queer people than any other region in the U.S. In this full-length special from PBS Digital Studios, join queer actor Dyllón Burnside on a journey to discover how LGBTQ+ Americans are finding ways to live authentically, without fear, and with pride in the modern South. Then watch six short episodes of Prideland with Dyllón as he explores such topics as the struggle for same-sex adoption, the fight for LGBTQ+ healthcare in the South, what it means to be an ally, and his own story of coming out in the South.
True Colors: LGBTQ+ Our Stories, Our Songs
Offering a unique look at the history of the LGBTQ+ community in the United States, this special shares real-life stories of hope, resilience, and triumph from people across the country, artistically represented through thematically relevant music. These heartfelt narratives connect with the history of the LGBTQ+ movement through performances by the Indigo Girls, Billy Gilman, Morgxn, Peppermint, Jujubee, Alexis Michelle, Trey Pearson, Breanna Sinclairé, André de Shields, and more. Jeopardy champion Amy Schneider, the most successful woman and most successful transgender contestant ever to compete on the game show, hosts this remarkable presentation.
Discover unforgettable stories with your WTIU PBS Passport member benefit when you tune in to these episodes of the acclaimed Emmy Award-winning anthology series. In Our League, meet a transgender woman as she comes out to her old-school Ohio bowling league; follow a former ballet prodigy as he finds refuge in a female alter ego in When I'm Her,; meet residents of an LGBTQ+ retirement home who give a whole new meaning to the term Senior Prom; and, in No Straight Lines, join five queer comic book artists as they journey from the underground comix scene to the mainstream. You can also preview the upcoming episode Mama Bears to meet Christian mothers championing the rights of their LGBTQ+ children; then watch the full episode after its broadcast premiere on June 20.
After watching this Hot Docs Audience Choice Award-winning film, I can say with confidence that Fanny is my new favorite band! Even though Fanny is not a new group, it is new to me and many other rock music fans. Co-founded by Filipina American and queer teenagers in the late 60s, Fanny was the first all-women band to release an album with a major record label, when the group signed with Warner/Reprise in 1970. Yet, despite releasing five critically acclaimed albums over five years, touring with famed bands like Chicago and Slade, and amassing a dedicated fan base of music legends including David Bowie, Fanny’s groundbreaking impact in music was written out of history…until now. Meet the defiant women of Fanny with your WTIU PBS Passport member benefit!
In the 1950s and ’60s, an underground network of transgender women and cross-dressing men found refuge at a modest house in the Catskills. Known as Casa Susanna, the house provided a safe place to express their true selves and live as they had always dreamed—dressed as and living as women without fear of being incarcerated or institutionalized. Told through the memories of those who visited the house, the film provides a moving look at a secret world where the persecuted found freedom, acceptance and, often, the courage to live out of the shadows. With your WTIU PBS Passport member benefit, you have exclusive access to see this latest episode of American Experience before its broadcast premiere on June 27.
On an autumn afternoon in Norman, Oklahoma, gay teen Zack Harrington killed himself with a gunshot to the head. Against the backdrop of a town bitterly divided on the issue of homosexuality, his parents, conservative Republicans and military veterans, are forced to reconcile their own social and political beliefs, eventually moving from private denial to public acceptance of their son’s legacy. Watch this moving episode of America Reframed as healing and heartbreak intermingle to tell their poignant story.
In the spirit of Finding Your Roots, the series We'll Meet Again digs into the past, using investigative techniques to reunite people whose lives crossed at pivotal moments in history. In this episode, host Ann Curry meets two men whose lives were changed in the early days of the gay rights movement. Tom wants to find his childhood friend who urged him to come out, and Paul seeks a fellow student who inspired him to stand up for his beliefs. View history through their eyes with your WTIU PBS Passport member benefit and witness the unbreakable bonds of friendship.
For a deeper look at the origins of the Pride movement, tune in with your WTIU PBS Passport member benefit to another special episode of American Experience . In Stonewall Uprising, first-hand accounts from both police and rioters, along with original film footage, reveal the story of June 28, 1969, when patrons stood up against the authorities for the first time, setting off a three-day riot that launched the modern gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.