The Stonewall Inn owner visits Appleton bar's Pride party: 50-plus years after riots, 'Stonewall' means strength in numbers.'
APPLETON - Patrons of Mondo! Wine Bar were given a special Pride Month experience as the owner of The Stonewall Inn, the site of the 1969 riots that launched the gay rights movement and sparked Pride Month, came to visit the downtown Appleton bar Saturday.
Kurt Kelly, who had never been to Wisconsin prior to his Appleton visit, visited Mondo's Pride party to share stories of his historic bar and raise funds for The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative.
Kelly is the co-owner of the historic Stonewall Inn, which became the first LGBTQ National Monument in 2016.
The event raised $1000 for the nonprofit that provides educational, strategic and financial assistance to rural LGBTQ organizations across the country.
This includes developing safe spaces in "areas in the country where (LGBTQ people) are still not accepted," Kelly told Mondo! guests Saturday.
Kelly joked that Appleton's population could fit into The Stonewall Inn, but despite its small size he said the city is lucky to have a safe space like Mondo! for LGBTQ folks to be themselves.
Pride Month is celebrated in June to pay homage to the Stonewall uprising that occurred in June 1969. It helped spark the modern gay rights movement.
The uprising occurred outside The Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City, after frequent police raids of gay bars across the city had escalated patrons' frustration toward police.
Kelly said respect for LGBTQ folks has come a long way since the 1969 riots.
"(Police) were arresting us 50 years ago and now they're protecting us 50 years later," Kelly said.
By having inclusive spaces like Mondo! Wine Bar and The Stonewall Inn, Kelly said LGBTQ folks are able to feel more comfortable in their communities.
"The word 'stonewall' means strength in numbers," Kelly said. "Every time you put a rock on that wall you become stronger."
MORE: A Neenah LGBTQ club is creating a growing love for drag shows in the Fox Cities
Sophia Voight can be reached at svoight@postcrescent.com or 920-993-7102. Follow her on Twitter @sophia_voight.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Stonewall Inn owner visits downtown Appleton Pride party
