Kick-off Pride Month with a reunion of founding members of the Gay Liberation Front!

Featuring Perry Brass, Flavia Rando, and Michela Griffo, moderated by August Bernadicou.

As the lights dim and the audience hushes, anticipation will fill the air. For the first time in decades, three members of the Gay Liberation Front are reuniting to discuss their revolutionary movement and the fight for true freedom. We are talking about 1969, baby! Homosexuality was psychopathological and same-sex dancing was illegal. The Stonewall Rebellion had only recently birthed a mass movement. These brave individuals risked everything to stand up for their rights.

The panelists will share their memories of a movement that changed the world. They will speak of the protests, the rallies, the marches, and the arrests. They will remember the passion, the courage, and the determination that drove them forward. The Gay Liberation Front wasn't just fighting for acceptance; they wanted complete freedom. They wanted a world where gender and sexuality weren't limited by narrow, societal norms. Assimilation was not on the agenda. They wanted to love and live without fear of judgment or persecution. Their bravery and vision for true liberation continues to inspire a new generation as they reflect on their experiences and share the lessons learned from a fight that changed the world.

The Panel:

Perry Brass is an accomplished poet, author, editor, and activist who was a member of the Gay Liberation Front and co-founded the health center, Callen-Lorde. As a pioneering voice in the LGBTQ+ movement, he co-edited the Gay Liberation Front’s magazine Come Out! and has written extensively on the struggles and triumphs of the community, including his own personal experiences. Brass continues to inspire and advocate for true liberation and equality through his work.

Flavia Rando is an art historian who teaches Lesbian, Women’s, and Queer Studies. A longtime lesbian activist, she joined the Gay Liberation Front in 1969 and Radicalesbians in 1970. In 1974, she and several others co-founded The Lesbian Herstory Archives, an archive, community center, and museum dedicated to preserving lesbian history. The Archives contain the world's largest collection of materials by and about lesbians. In 2019, she was happy to accept the OUT d’Or Award in Paris for the Gay Liberation Front, which will become part of the Archives’ collections. In 2011, Flavia inaugurated the Lesbian Studies Institute at the Archives, where she taught for nine years.

Michela Griffo is an artist, feminist, and activist crucial to several groundbreaking movements. As an early member of the National Organization for Women, the Gay Liberation Front, Radical Lesbians, and the Redstockings, she was a prominent figure in the fight for women's rights and LGBTQ+ liberation. Griffo also worked tirelessly to remove the mafia's control from gay bars, and her activism helped create safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community. In addition to her activism, Griffo is an accomplished visual artist, using her talent to amplify the voices of marginalized communities.

The Moderator:
August Bernadicou is a gay historian and the President of The LGBTQ History Project, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the lives and legacies of LGBTQ+ elders and activists. Over the past 16 years, August has collected thousands of hours of recorded conversations and interviews with LGBTQ+ activists and elders. He is also a podcast producer, and has conducted numerous panels and public events about queer history and its importance to our community.