Dear Readers,
In 1969, patrons of the Stonewall Inn were incited to riot after years of brutal humiliation and imprisonment at the hands of a homophobic police force. Those brave men and women dared to resist the currents of a turbulently unjust whirlpool society; and in doing so, created a watershed moment that has rippled through generations of LGBTQ individuals. The 43 years since the Stonewal
l Inn Riots have seen an indefatigable effort by G**s and Le****ns to gain acknowledgement as a community within the American social structure. Today's generation of g**s and le****ns are on the verge of attaining the rights to marriage, employment, reproduction; and to live free of discriminatory and oppressive legislative policies. While the progress of the LGBT community has created a sociological breakthrough that heralds the potential for unprecedented equality, LGBT individuals today often find that they are far more closely scrutinized than their forbears. The sociopolitical atmosphere has developed into toxic extremes that have corroded the moral compasses of those who would deny minority groups basic human rights. This atmosphere has necessitated the local and global unification of LGBTQ peoples. Such a grand unification, even in Beaumont, TX, would enable the LGBT community to stand firmly against oppressive political and social forces; thereby enabling the community to reach its full potential as thriving, beautifully unique culture.
