ON THIS DAY In 1969, The blame game begins in the aftermath of the
Stonewall rioting. While one writer suggests "Judy (Garland's) death
inspired those Stonewall queens," others blame the full moon. And nobody
can quite decide who cast the first stone. Some say it was a lesbian,
others say a drag queen and still others say it was a straight Puerto
Rican who urged gays to "get in there and get those cops." Meanwhile, a
second night of rioting kicks up as crowds gather at the Stonewall to
protest, throw bottles, form a can-can line, and light the occasional
fire. Tonight's melee lasts two hours, and ends in three arrests.
BIRTHGAYS (and the occasional straights) * 1503 - Poet Monsignor Giovanni della Casa
* 1814 - British hymn-writer and theologian Frederick William Faber
* 1893 - Photographer Florence Henri
* 1940 - Poet Hunce Voelcker * 1943 - Former San Francisco Forty-Niner, Detroit Lion, Washington
Redskin, New Orleans Saint, and the Green Bay Packer Dave Kopay (pictured)
Q.UOTE "And the desire (for homosexuals) to have these kids is almost
entirely premised on, 'I want to have a baby. We want to have a baby.'
Not, 'Are we in the best situation to be able to raise a child?' And I
think it comes down to just pure selfishness. And that's what it's all
about. Can a baby have two mothers? It's a new concept for us. And I'm not sure
it's an especially healthy one. First of all, it demeans the entire
notion of fatherhood, implying that a father is an absolute irrelevancy,
a concept that has destroyed many black families, the idea that we
simply don't need to have any male role model in the life whatsoever.
... But the larger point is, whether or not society needs to facilitate
people's desires to raise children any way they feel like raising them.
If we're going to sanction the parental rights of both people in a gay
relationship, do we have to sanction the parental rights of a three-way
relationship? Let's imagine that a woman and a man have a baby. And the
woman later decides to hook up with a female partner. Do they all get
rights? And are we going to base every single decision on the basis of
what these parents who are choosing alternative lifestyles want or are
we going to start to think about what's in the best interest of the
child?" -- "Rush Limbaugh Show" guest host Mark Belling
Find out what happens when the final closet door--that of men in
sports--finally swings open. Is there life for gay athletes after coming
out to their teammates? Is there life before coming out? And how does
being in the closet affect athletic performance? As gay athletes and
coaches openly move onto the playing fields, many are still grappling
with the subtle messages they received while growing up: that
homosexuality is something to be mocked, avoided, or feared and is
completely incompatible with athletics. Journalist Dan Woog, himself an
openly gay soccer coach, interviewed dozens of gay jocks and offers up
over 25 inspiring stories of men who are truly
today's champions.
