Public Employee Press: PEP Talk
DC 37 marks multicultural heritage
Celebrating Stonewall: DC 37 honors Gay Pride
By MIKE LEE
DC 37’s Lesbian & Gay Issues Committee (LAGIC) kicked off Gay Pride Month with a ribbon-cutting at event at union headquarters in Manhattan. The May 31 event had a special meaning, as it celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion, where thousands of members of New York’s LGBTQ+ community protested in resistance to a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a bar frequented by the community. This empowered a movement for civil rights and respect for LGBTQ+ people, and decades-long struggle that continues today.
LAGIC co-chairs, Valentin Colon, president of New York Public Library Guild Local 1930, and Yolanda Pumarejo, SSEU Local 371 executive vice president, warmly welcomed the attendees, who included union leaders, activists and members.
DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido spoke of the vital contributions LGBTQ+ union members have made to the union movement. “We are all together as one, fighting for our rights as we face the serious challenges ahead,” he said.
LAGIC, founded in 1989, stands at the frontline in fighting for recognition and respect for the LGBTQ+ community. Its members have fought for greater recognition of the community, and they have been strong leaders in pushing forward the union’s agenda. The group successfully pushed for the legalization of same-sex marriages and greater acceptance of LGBTQ+ people within the union movement.
DC 37 members marched in the city’s Gay Pride March on June 30, not just to honor the past, exemplified by Stonewall uprising, but also to celebrate the growing acceptance of the community.
