Gay Pride 2009: Life Is A Cabaret, Past & Present

This month marks the 40th year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village, a neighborhood of New York City. They are frequently cited as the first instance in American history when gays and lesbians fought back against a government-sponsored system that persecuted homosexuals, and they have become the defining event that marked the start of the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.
Very few establishments welcomed openly gay people in the 1950s and 1960s. Those that did were often bars, although bar owners and managers were rarely gay. The Stonewall Inn catered to an assortment of patrons, but it was known to be popular with the most marginalized people in the gay community: transvestites, effeminate young men, hustlers, and homeless youth.
Police raids on gay bars were routine in the 1960s, but officers quickly lost control of the situation at the Stonewall Inn, and attracted a crowd that was incited to riot. Tensions between New York City police and gay residents of Greenwich Village erupted into more protests the next evening, and again several nights later. Within weeks, Village residents quickly organized into activist groups to concentrate efforts on establishing places for gays and lesbians to be open about their sexual orientation without fear of being arrested.
After the Stonewall riots, gays and lesbians in New York City faced gender, class, and generational obstacles to becoming a cohesive community. Within six months, two gay activist organizations were formed in New York, concentrating on confrontational tactics, and three newspapers were established to promote rights for gays and lesbians.
Within a few years, gay rights organizations were founded across the U.S. and the world. On June 28, 1970, the first Gay Pride marches took place in Los Angeles and New York commemorating the anniversary of the riots. Similar marches were organized in other cities; today Gay Pride events are held annually throughout the world toward the end of June to mark the Stonewall riots.
This mix is done in honour of these series of events in history.
Donna Summer - My Life '01 (Q's Life Extension Mix)
Deniece Williams - Let's Hear It For The Boy '07 (UNR Shanghi Surprise Mix)
Spandau Ballet - True '08 (UNR Freemasons Funky Club Remix)
Jimmy Somerville - Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You (UNR Almighty Mix)
DJ Bill Bennett & Suzanne Palmer - Fame (Edson Pride Club)
Deborah Cox - Beautiful U R (Arenna Remix)
Amuka - Stand Up (Be Proud) (Edson Pride Massive Mix)
Inaya Day - Nasty Girl (Peter Rauhofer Reconstruction Mix)
Idina Menzel - Gorgeous (Craig C Master Mix)
RuPaul - Cover Girls (Twisted Dee Club Mix)
Cyndi Lauper - Shine (UNR Illicit Full Vocal Club Mix)
Judy Torres - Hell No (Tony Moran & Warren Rigg Club Mix)
Perry Twins feat Niki Haris - Bad Bad Boy (Escape & Dom Capello Mix)
Beyonce - Diva (Gomi & RasJek Vocal Remix)
Olivia Newton John - Xanadu '08 (UNR Juniors Club Anthem)
Christina Aguilera - Beautiful (Al B Rich Full Club Mix)
Madonna feat Justin - Dance 2Nite (Wayne G Dance Mix)
Kylie Minogue - Your Disco Needs You (UNR Definitive Club Mix)
Elton John - Your Song 2002 (UNR Almighty Club Mix)
The Village People - YMCA (Almighty Millenium Mix)
Click on image to download.
Time: 77 Mins (70.70 MB)