Harvey Brownstone Honored at the Stonewall: Canadian Talk Show Host, Activist Kicks Off Pride Month
By John Pietaro
The former Canadian judge—that
nation’s first openly gay jurist—made history by marrying countless same-sex couples
from the provinces as well as throughout this nation. The New York contingent
was so numerous that Brownstone’s dedication earned a 2008 Proclamation by NYS State
Senator Tom Duane. His marriage officiating occurred continually—and free of
charge--around an already full Family Court docket. At the Stonewall,
Brownstone offered, “It was always so moving. There were so many desperate to
finally hold that legal commitment, I couldn’t turn anyone away.”
Among those he couldn’t turn
away were New Yorkers Edie Windsor and Thea Spyer, married by Brownstone after
42 years as a couple; their union came to trigger the Supreme Court litigation which
ushered in legal marriage for LGBTQ people across the U.S. The latter story was
ardently told in documentary Edie and Thea: A Very Long Engagement which
includes footage of the pair’s wedding ceremony at Toronto Pearson Airport.
Among the guest speakers at Stonewall was Judith Kasen-Windsor who became the second
wife of Edie Windsor following Thea Spyer’s lengthy battle with multiple
sclerosis. Kasen-Windsor offered details of the fight, not only for recognition
but that which Windsor endured leading up to the Supreme Court decision.
Grammy-nominated songwriter
Harriet Schock (“Ain’t No Way to Treat a Lady”, a massive hit for Helen Reddy),
moved by Brownstone’s “coming out” story, composed “I Am Yours”, now released by
vocalist and pianist Gary Lynn Floyd on his album Present Schock: The Songs
of Harriet Schock. Floyd flew in from Houston to perform a riveting set
including this song and Schock’s reworking of “Ain’t No Way to Treat a Lady”,
adding, “This time it’s from the male perspective and it’s actually my own
coming out story”. He also performed a rousing original with vocalist Denise Lee,
another out-of-towner in for the occasion (“And I also came to see my baby
performing in Shuck’d on Broadway!”, she excitedly added). The duo lit
the house with Floyd’s classic, warm baritone and Lee’s Mavis Staples-inspired vocal
flight. Jim Keaton, president of the Helen Reddy Fan Club, spoke powerfully
about the songs of Schock and the relationship he developed with Reddy and her
team.
Award-winning mixologist
Maria Gentile who’d crafted special libations for the evening including the
Marvy Harvey, Love Wins, Justice for All, and the Brownstone (with Canadian
Club whiskey, natch), emerged from behind the bar to lend her vocal talents to
the goings-on. “If I Was a Boy”, a deeply touching piece recalling Gentile’s
own childhood struggles within the LGBTQ reality, was emotionally performed by
this veteran cabaret singer with emotive piano accompaniment by Floyd.
Other features of the
evening included an address by long-term activist and WBAI radio host David
Rothenberg. “I may be older than water”, he joked, nonplussed, “but I can still
get up on stage”. Rothenberg, who’d spent decades as a Broadway press agent,
was also founder of the Fortune Society. His activism for civil rights, civil
liberties and peace expanded in 1973 “when I was asked to be on the David
Susskind Show to discuss gay and lesbian issues. That was my coming-out story.
I lived across the street from this place in 1969 during the uprising, but was frozen,
deep in the closet then. I haven’t looked back since.” Others in the crowd
included television, film and stage actor Louise Sorel (whom Rothenberg
recalled from his earliest press rep days), and breakthrough TV screenwriter
Susan Silver, among many more.
Wendy Stuart, actor,
activist, and host of the ‘If These Walls Could Talk’ show, clarified just how
fragile the situation is right now, in the face of ultra-conservative
legislation stripping human rights through the most extreme of right-wing voices.
During his years on the bench,
Brownstone also became a best-selling author with the groundbreaking “Tug of
War: A Judge’s Verdict on Separation, Custody Battles and the Bitter Realities
of Family Court”, leading to numerous appearances in media, but his lifelong desire
to host celebrated actors and writers came to be only following retirement from
law.
Since its debut in 2021, ‘Harvey
Brownstone Interviews’ has counted Louis Gossett Jr, Linda Evans, Sir Tim Rice,
Robert Wagner, Louise Sorel, Ruta Lee, even the elusive 93-year-old Mamie van
Doren among his notable guests. The show is broadcast globally on Brownstone’s
own YouTube channel as well as XPTV1 throughout the U.K., among other sources. Honoring
the show, the Breakfast at Dominique’s fair trade, environmentally friendly
coffee company premiered its ‘Talk Show Blend’, suited to Brownstone’s specific
taste.
As the Stonewall
celebration came to a close and the over-filled glasses were drained down to their
rocks, so to speak, the house system played “Oh, Canada”, with host Towers
proclaiming, “This is New York’s ‘thank you’ to you, Harvey. For all you’ve
done!”
Here-here.
Links:
Harvey Brownstone Interviews website: https://www.harveybrownstoneinterviews.com/
“Harvey Brownstone Interviews” youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaE5NJCAmpqkFvyJRpOpokw
“Harvey Brownstone Interviews” XPTV1: https://xptv1.com/
“Harvey Brownstone Interviews” Spotify channel: https://open.spotify.com/show/5uGlhWQ3Z63di2kem431eB
“Harvey Brownstone Interviews” Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/harvey-brownstone-interviews/id1555774578
Gary Lynn Floyd: https://garylynnfloyd.com/
Harriet Schock: https://harrietschock.com/#choices
Breakfast at Dominique’s Hollywood Blends coffees: https://hollywoodblends.com/
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