On July 2, 1990, Jackson Heights resident Alan Sack had stopped while walking home to speak with a friend after parting ways with his life partner Julio Rivera about 20 minutes earlier near Public School 69 on 78th Street when they were approached by a panicked man yelling that a man was being murdered in the nearby school yard. The group started running in the direction of the school yard and what they would find would alter not only the lives of the group but would lead to the first prosecutions and convictions for a hate crime in New York State and spur a flurry of pro-LGBTQ changes across the state and the nation. In this episode we delve into the life and legacy of 29 year old Julio Rivera whose life was brutally taken from him in a senseless act of hate and violence. The act would unite the LGBTQ community in Queens to have the first successful march in Queens and lead to the start of the Queens pride parade that still takes place today.
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If you are in need of additional support/resources or want to get involved in supporting any of the organizations discussed in this episode you can reach out to:
Anti-Violence Program- https://avp.org
If you are having thoughts of self harm or suicide, You can reach a specialized LGBTQI+ affirming counselor by texting “Q” to 988 or by calling 988 and pressing “3.”
The intro theme for this podcast are sections of Nightmare Machine by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
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