Photo Restoration

During the past few weeks I have worked on several projects that involve restoring damaged photographs to keep a bit of history for future generations. One project was putting together my ancestry through family photos borrowed from relatives as well as images I have taken over the past forty-three years, all dutifully restored. Another project was reconnecting with old Army buddies through Facebook, sharing memories and restored images from over thirty-five years ago.

In 1987 I started doing photo restoration using film in my full color darkroom. Dodging and burning techniques were utilized during the exposure of the photographic paper to manipulate the final image. Color balance was trial and error using a composition notebook to record each adjustment of the enlarger’s color wheels. The final result was not clear until the print development was complete. Scratches and color was touched up using pigmented photo oils. The results were often less than ideal but the skills and concepts learned from manual print processing are still valid today.

Fast forward to 2011. Now my photo restoration process involves using the technical skills learned in college, including a good understanding of color theory, utilizing Photoshop CS5, as well as a professional scanner with dual lens high pass optics, a Wacom Cintiq editing monitor and a HP Dreamcolor (RGB LED backlit) monitor for color accuracy. I scan the negatives at 6400 dpi optical resolution and 48 bit color. This makes each image file around 250 megabytes. Some take more than an hour each to scan, remove scratches, stains, straightening out the crooked ones, filing in blank areas caused by rotating the photo one or degrees by cloning the adjacent pixels. Then each image goes through a manual color correction process before resizing and sharpening to display on Facebook. For prints I use the original file before reducing, sending a 16 bit file to an archival pigment based inkjet printer for maximum print quality. I use a similar process for photos but a resolution of at least 600 dpi depending on the size of the original. While we can do great things in today’s digital world, fixing damage caused by physical forces of weather, paper rips or holes, water stains, fading dyes caused by oxidation or exposure to sunlight, the final image is still very dependent on the quality of the original.

Working with just a digital image is the easiest restoration. It often only involves selective color balancing as in this example:

A tougher restoration is converting  a slide or negative with a underexposure problem to a color corrected digital copy. In the following example, the sky and ground were processed as separate images or layers and then sandwiched back together.

Even more difficult is restoring old, faded, torn, spotted and water damaged photos as you will see in the following examples.

I can also print the restored image up to 17″ x 22″ or longer depending on the image, with custom matting and framing done in my shop. The following image I printed on canvas and mounted in a period oval frame with domed glass.

The digital age has provided photographers new tools to do what was once unimaginable, using intelligent cloning with pattern detection to remove and replace distracting elements in a photograph.

If you have thought about throwing away family photos damaged from recent flooding, please consider my photo restoration service.

To see my restored Army photos, click on this link 427th Med Company (AMB), Ft Rucker, Alabama (1975-1978).

Famous Quotes

Power is like being a lady… if you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.

-Margaret Thatcher

 

America owes most of its social prejudices to the exaggerated religious opinions of the different sects which were so instrumental in establishing the colonies.

-James Fenimore Cooper

 

There is no week nor day nor hour when tyranny may not enter upon this country, if the people lose their roughness and spirit of defiance.

-Walt Whitman

 

Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.

-John F. Kennedy

 

It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.

-Maya Angelou

 

A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.

-Thomas Jefferson

 

 

Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead.

The local blog the Venner Vox, a work product of William J. Kline & Son, Inc. is dead. This revelation,  according to an editorial written by the blog’s former moderator Charlie Kraebel, is good news to me.

The reasons for the blog’s demise listed in Kraebel’s editorial are all true. What wasn’t listed, was that the blog showed partiality to a certain few and often offered partisan opinion on topics in local news instead of presenting topics for discussion in an impartial manner.  My complaints about the unfair way the blog was moderated, resulted in the blog instituting a set of rules that were rarely enforced.

In my opinion, the Venner Vox represented a community forum, a modern town hall, run by the Recorder, the official newspaper of the City of Amsterdam. The moderator of the Venner Vox was paid to create and run this blog, unlike the other local blogs that are unpaid voluntary submissions for the benefit of our community. With that should have come a sense of responsibility to keep the Venner Vox under the same type of control as the information published in the print version of the Recorder.  This was not the case so I decided to move on and create my blog, the Grove Street Grumble.

I no longer participated in the discussions on the Venner Vox unless my name or the name of my blog was specifically mentioned. This occurred on several occasions, most notably the day after the Marriage Equality bill was signed into law.  I campaigned heavily for the passage of this law that was very important to me personally, even speaking out at a Common Council meeting to ask for their support on the measure.

On June 25, 2011 the title of the blog post on the Venner Vox was Jerry Skrocki Can Marry His Cat. I found this title discriminatory, hurtful and demeaning to myself and the gay community and asked Charlie Kraebel to remove it.  Receiving no response, I wrote to the Publisher of the Recorder Kevin McClary, who assumed no responsibility for the post stating:

To all:

I am pulling this post simply because Mr. Skrocki has shown he does not understand Charlie’s use of irony in the post (regarding other people’s comments) and it is being twisted out of context. There will be no further references to Mr. Skrocki on the Venner Vox, ever.

I will not publicly debate this.

Kevin McClary, Publisher

The publisher’s reaction was to condone this type of harassment on behalf of William J. Kline & Son, Inc. and ban me from posting comments.  My reaction was to make a formal record of this event by filing the complaint with the NYS Division for Human Rights.

This did not stop Charlie Kraebel from making veiled references to my blog in what I perceived to be continued pattern of harassment.  The titles used in the posts on the Venner Vox on July 28, 2011 “The Academy Street Crumble”  and on August 1st, 2011 “Get yer Grumble on” had no legitimate purpose other than to annoy.

Yes, I’m glad someone dropped a house on the Venner Vox.

Questionable Advertisement

This advertisement appeared again in the July 28, 2011, edition of the Recorder. I saw it once before and it struck me as odd that an employee of the City of Amsterdam was allowed to promote a private, Catholic business in his official capacity as a Police Officer.

I do not know this Officer, or whether he or the City were paid as a result of participating in the advertisement. In my opinion, it is highly unethical for any municipal employee to use his official position to promote a private business. My  other problem is that this situation could be interpreted as a governmental official promoting a specific religion.  St. Mary’s Healthcare is a Catholic run organization according to their mission statement.

The Mission of St. Mary’s is “to care compassionately for those we serve with dedication to excellence and Christian ideals.”

Rooted in the Healing Ministry of Jesus, we dedicate ourselves to serve all persons with compassion and excellence, especially those who are vulnerable.

St. Mary’s Hospital at Amsterdam will be a strong Catholic regional hospital dedicated to improving the health of the entire community with special attention to the poor and underserved.  Patients, physicians and associates will prefer us because of our reputation for excellence and service, and our commitment to safety and quality.

St. Mary’s Healthcare seems to enjoy an unhealthy relationship with local government because its board members are intertwined with local government. Vito L. Greco serves on St. Mary’s Healthcare Board of Directors and is the Montgomery County Supervisor for Amsterdam’s 1st Ward. Robert Quick serves on St. Mary’s Advisory Board and is a Board member of the Amsterdam Industrial Development Agency. Whether or not they recuse themselves from decisions that concern St. Mary’s Healthcare, the influence is still there.

Representatives of St Mary’s Healthcare were invited to sit as part of the Zoning Update Committee, the only local business invited to take part.  As of the last Common Council meeting they were still fighting to get the Historic Regulations changed. The Zoning plan for the Medical/Residential Zone already accommodates St. Mary’s, allowing them to change a residential building to medical use without having to apply for permits or variances.  Now they are using their lawyer to try to change the proposed ordinance to benefit themselves instead of local residents.

This local business does employ a large number of people, but should be treated no differently than any other local business in Amsterdam.

Jessica Maher Leaves the Recorder

It’s official!  Jessica Maher, Star Reporter for our local Amsterdam newspaper the Recorder, is leaving. In the following email sent out today, Jessica thanks the community for their cooperation.

Hi all:

This is a note to let you know that today is my last day at the Recorder. Jarrett Carroll will be taking over coverage of the city, so please add him to your mailing lists. His e-mail address is jarrett.carroll@recordernews.com and he can also be reached at 843-1100 ext. 139.

On a personal note, I wanted to thank you all for your cooperation over the past few years. It has been a pleasure to work in this community.

Ciao!
Jessica

Jessica Maher
Recorder
1 Venner Road
Amsterdam, NY 12010
(518) 843-1100 ext. 155

There was no mention of where she will be going, but with her writing ability as well as her pleasant, respectful demeanor, I am sure she will succeed at whatever is in store for her.

Jessica you will be missed!

The City Historian is Angry!

Amsterdam’s City Historian Robert von Hasseln is angry with the ill-prepared editorial A plan for the city’s future, published in the July 2, 2011, edition of the Recorder that has incorrect information and misconceptions about Historic Preservation.  He expressed his anger in a tersely worded letter sent to Recorder Editor Charlie Kraebel and the entire Historic Amsterdam League. I have since removed the letter from my blog at Mr. von Hasseln’s request and he is free to comment or repost if he so desires.

As a member of both the Zoning Update Committee and the Historic Amsterdam League, I agree with the City Historian.

The following statement from the Recorder editorial is just incorrect:

One interesting issue addressed in the update is the historic resources overlay zone that includes a section of Guy Park Avenue, Guy Park Avenue Extension and the Bridge Street area. It’s largely the same area that exists now in the historic resources overlay district, though the current ordinance lays out no guidelines or method of enforcement.

The historic overlay zone did not change in the proposed zoning ordinance. There are historic guidelines in our current ordinance with enforcement common to all sections of zoning code. They have never been followed by either code enforcement or the Planning Commission. Our current guidelines can be found in the following link.

§ 250-34. Development within the Historic Resources Overlay (HR-O) District.

The next statement taken from the editorial is just a flippant remark with no real insight or effort to find any factual information about the reasoning behind a local Historic Preservation Commission.

Also, the new draft establishes a Historic Review Board that would have to approve windows, doors, siding, demolition, new buildings, additions and more. During a series of ward meetings to discuss the progress of the zoning ordinance update, residents of the Guy Park Avenue area were concerned that the regulations might be too costly. That concerns us as well. Plus, the last thing Amsterdam needs is another board when there are several already in place, particularly planning and zoning boards, set up to deal with issues like this.

Our current regulation is not working, necessitating change. The Historic Preservation Commission is a necessary part 0f establishing Amsterdam as a Certified Local Government which also enables the City to receive Federal Historic Grants and tax credits. The membership of the Commission is regulated by New York State and must be composed of at least one from each the following categories; an architect experienced with historic buildings, a historian, a resident of a historic district, a member of a local historic preservation group. The NYS guidelines can be found in the following links.

Certified Local Government Program in New York State

Certified Local Government Program Explained

Legal Aspects of Municipal Historic Preservation

The membership of the Historic Amsterdam League have agreed to voluntarily conduct a visual survey of Amsterdam’s buildings under guidance of the City Historian, to decide if the current Historic Overlay District needs to be expanded or reduced in some areas. There are many homes in our city that contain significant historic architectural features that are outside of the current district. Adding new historic zones would make them eligible for preservation grants. This effort has no effect on the current zoning proposal. Any changes would have to be added after the passing of the proposed ordinance.

The City Historian came up with a solution that is both sound and reasonable to help keep Amsterdam’s architectural history. The members of the Zoning Update Committee agreed and the community should also.

Bullying

Ken Zalewski, Troy City Councilman and his partner Mike Oliver. -photo by Marty Rouse, Human Rights Campaign

For the past few weeks I watched the battle for Marriage Equality in New York transform from an educated discussion on the real issue, to an all out assault on the gay population. It seems the further one gets from a metropolitan city, the more bigoted the local populace’s opinion becomes. This was never more clear to me than when I lobbied Amsterdam’s Common Council to produce a consent resolution supporting Marriage Equality as the City of Troy had done. Ken Zalewski, Troy City Councilman District 5 was successful in getting the City of Troy to send a resolution in support of Marriage Equality to the NYS Legislature. When I unsuccessfully attempted the same, I got the support of Alderman Bill Wills but the resolution never made it to a vote. The rest of the Council was not willing to support the measure or Amsterdam’s gay population, out of fear and political repercussions. Three members of The Family Bible Church came to the City Council meeting and spoke, denouncing not only Marriage Equality, but the entire gay population in the name of their god. This type of bigotry by a religious organization induces hate and fear, the cause of bullying in our schools. Hearing this religious organization’s hate speech brought back memories from my childhood when I was the victim of bullying and I had to leave the Council Chamber. Kids learn this behavior from their parents and carry it on to the next generation. The increasing number of suicides in teens and young adults has been directly associated with bullying.

In response to this crisis, the It Gets Better campaign started using video to send a positive message to vulnerable Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered teens. Here are a couple of examples:

I realize change cannot occur overnight. It took years of set up this deep-rooted bigotry in the general population and it will take time to undo. The New York State Legislature passed a plan for the State Education System to address this issue through our public schools by introducing curriculum that both educates and protects students from bullying. The language includes age specific education about sexual orientation and gender identity among others. Passed last year, the Dignity for All Students Law goes into Effect July 1, 2012.

EDN/ Title 1/ Article 2/ Dignity for All Students

* § 10. Legislative intent. The legislature finds that students’ ability to learn and to meet high academic standards, and a school’s ability to educate its students, are compromised by incidents of discrimination or harassment including bullying, taunting or intimidation. It is hereby declared to be the policy of the state to afford all students in public schools an environment free of discrimination and harassment. The purpose of this article is to foster civility in public schools and to prevent and prohibit conduct which is inconsistent with a school’s educational mission.
NB Effective July 1, 2012

* § 11. Definitions. For the purposes of this article, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
1.”School property” shall mean in or within any building, structure, athletic playing field, playground, parking lot, or land contained within the real property boundary line of a public elementary or secondary school; or in or on a school bus, as defined in section one hundred forty-two of the vehicle and traffic law.
2.”School function” shall mean a school-sponsored extra-curricular event or activity.
3.”Disability” shall mean disability as defined in subdivision twenty-one of section two hundred ninety-two of the executive law.
4.”Employee” shall mean employee as defined in subdivision three of section eleven hundred twenty-five of this title.
5.”Sexual orientation” shall mean actual or perceived heterosexuality, homosexuality or bisexuality.
6. “Gender” shall mean actual or perceived sex and shall include a person’s gender identity or expression.
7.”Harassment” shall mean the creation of a hostile environment by conduct or by verbal threats, intimidation or abuse that has or would have the effect of unreasonably and substantially interfering with a student’s educational performance, opportunities or benefits, or mental, emotional or physical well-being; or conduct, verbal threats,intimidation or abuse that reasonably causes or would reasonably be expected to cause a student to fear for his or her physical safety; such conduct, verbal threats, intimidation or abuse includes but is not limited to conduct, verbal threats,intimidation or abuse based on a person’s actual or perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender or sex.
NB Effective July 1, 2012

§ 12. Discrimination and harassment prohibited.
1. No student shall be subjected to harassment by employees or students on school property or at a school function; nor shall any student be subjected to discrimination based on a person’s actual or perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender, or sex by school employees or students on school property or at a school function. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to prohibit a denial of admission into, or exclusion from, a course of instruction based on a person’s gender that would be permissible under section thirty-two hundred one-a or paragraph (a) of subdivision two of section twenty-eight hundred fifty-four of this chapter and title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. section 1681, et. seq.), or to prohibit, as discrimination based on disability, actions that would be permissible under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
2. An age-appropriate version of the policy outlined in subdivision one of this section, written in plain-language, shall be included in the code of conduct adopted by boards of education and the trustees or sole trustee pursuant to section twenty-eight hundred one of this chapter and a summary of such policy shall be included in any summaries required by such section twenty-eight hundred one.
NB Effective July 1, 2012

* §13. Policies and guidelines. The board of education and the trustees or sole trustee of every school district shall create policies and guidelines that shall include, but not be limited to:
1. Policies intended to create a school environment that is free from discrimination or harassment;
2. Guidelines to be used in school training programs to discourage the development of discrimination or harassment and that are designed:
a. to raise the awareness and sensitivity of school employees to potential discrimination or harassment, and
b. to enable employees to prevent and respond to discrimination or harassment; and
3. Guidelines relating to the development of nondiscriminatory instructional and counseling methods, and requiring that at least one staff member at every school be thoroughly trained to handle human relations in the areas of race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender, and sex.
NB Effective July 1, 2012

* § 14.Commissioner’s responsibilities. The commissioner shall:
1. Provide direction, which may include development of model policies and, to the extent possible, direct services, to school districts related to preventing discrimination and harassment and to fostering an environment in every school where all children can learn free of manifestations of bias;
2. Provide grants, from funds appropriated for such purpose, to local school districts to assist them in implementing the guidelines set forth in this section; and
3. Promulgate regulations to assist school districts in implementing this article including, but not limited to, regulations to assist school districts in developing measured, balanced, and age-appropriate responses to violations of this policy, with remedies and procedures focusing on intervention and education.
NB Effective July 1, 2012

* § 15. Reporting by commissioner. The commissioner shall create a procedure under which material incidents of discrimination and harassment on school grounds or at a school function are reported to the department at least on an annual basis. Such procedure shall provide that such reports shall, wherever possible, also delineate the specific nature of such incidents of discrimination or harassment, provided that the commissioner may comply with the requirements of this section through use of the existing uniform violent incident reporting system. In addition the department may conduct research or undertake studies to determine compliance throughout the state with the provisions of this article.
NB Effective July 1, 2012

§ 16. Protection of people who report discrimination or harassment. Any person having reasonable cause to suspect that a student has been subjected to discrimination or harassment by an employee or student, on school grounds or at a school function, who, acting reasonably and in good faith, either reports such information to school officials, to the commissioner, or to law enforcement authorities or otherwise initiates, testifies, participates or assists in any formal or informal proceedings under this article, shall have immunity from any civil liability that may arise from the making of such report or from initiating, testifying, participating or assisting in such formal or informal proceedings, and no school district or employee shall take, request or cause a retaliatory action against any such person who, acting reasonably and in good faith, either makes such a report or initiates, testifies, participates or assists in such formal or informal proceedings.
NB Effective July 1, 2012

* § 17. Application. Nothing in this article shall:
1.  Apply to private, religious or denominational educational institutions; or                                                                                                                                         2. Preclude or limit any right or cause of action provided under any local, state or federal ordinance, law or regulation including but not limited to any remedies or rights available under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Law of 1964, section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

NB Effective July 1, 2012

* § 18. Severability and construction. The provisions of this article shall be severable, and if any court of competent jurisdiction declares any phrase, clause, sentence or provision of this article to be invalid, or its applicability to any government agency, person or circumstance is declared invalid, the remainder of this article and its relevant applicability shall not be affected. The provisions of this article shall be liberally construed to give effect to the purposes thereof.
* NB Effective July 1, 2012

I met a newcomer to Amsterdam who recently bought a house here. He happens to be gay and wondered where all the gay people were. Moving from a larger downstate City, he was experiencing some culture shock!  I had to tell him they are here in numbers but most are closeted. They are teachers and doctors, lawyers and politicians as well as business owners who are afraid to come out of the closet because there is no support in Amsterdam. When President Obama proclaimed June of 2011 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Pride Month our City did not respond. Even my hometown of Hudson with a population of less than seven thousand, had a Family Pride Weekend, celebrating with an inclusive parade and cruise on the Hudson River for gay and straight families.

City of Hudson's Family Pride Celebration. -photo by Tom Froese

The Dignity for All Students Act can not come soon enough!

joeemanuele2012@gmail.com

I also received this unsolicited email viciously attacking Mayoral candidate Joe Emanuele that has been discussed on the Kraebel blog. The blogger is none other than Roberto Millan, author of that disgusting blog Judge Errant where he attacks Bob Going, Mike Chiara and Diane Hatzenbuhler. He even took a swing at me erroneously suggesting I was discussing him on The Show With No Name.  In Roberto’s Errant blog, he makes these wild allegations and then responds to them himself, as if he actually had fans. The only real people who responded to that hateful blog were Karin Hetrick who couldn’t resist agreeing with the character assassination of Bob Going and Mayor Ann Thane who has stated she does not respond to blogs.

These are their responses from the Judge Errant blog:

Now Roberto’s new blog joeemanuele.com is following the same style with the fake comments designed to lure people into the discussion. Roberto is also the only person that has sent me this type of unsolicited email.

When that Karin Hetrick/Tony Leggiero thing blew up on my blog, Karin called Roberto and asked him to call Ray Halgas to inquire if Tony Leggiero was blogging while at work. Millan identified himself as a lawyer before asking questions even though he has no license to practice law in New York State.  Halgas told him he was not.

Roberto then called me and told me what had occurred with Karin, his conversation with Ray Halgas and was about to ask me to take down the offending posts when I informed him they were already down. He stated he was a lawyer but only had license to practice in Connecticut, New Jersey and Washington DC. He admitted to me that he was the person who posted on the Venner Vox as female lawyer Tatum Stevens.  He denied knowing Ann Thane, he denied being Congressman Paul Tonko’s friend, stating he never met the man. How can you trust a straight answer from someone caught up in so much deceit?

On the June 10, 2011, edition of The Show With No Name, Bob Going revealed that he saw Mayor Ann Thane dining  at the former Windmill Diner with (who he hinted at as being) both Roberto Millan and Bethany Schuman McGhee. Could they have planned this attack on Joe Emanuele? Many of the items from the blog were taken directly from the Democratic response to Emanuele’s Mayoral announcement.

Roberto (he prefers Rob) Millan, where is your pride?

Roberto Millan (seated with headache)

Dan Weaver is Wrong!

This is for Dan Weaver of the Upstream & Downtown blog who for reasons unknown to this writer, has not posted my response to his inflammatory blog entry grilling Alderman Wills for supporting Marriage Equality:

How dare you turn this into a political debate? This issue is about civil rights and equality. Politicians have used Marriage Equality as a poker chip for too long now. It is time that we pass this resolution and if local government can show its support, why shouldn’t they? What better marketing tool can the City of Amsterdam have than to say we care about the civil rights and equality of our residents? This is the kind of marketing that needs no budget.

It is easy to say this is someone else’s issue, but in reality, it’s everyone’s issue. It is time that we deal with this issue as unpleasant as it is for some. It is not whether your religion agrees or does not agree with the principal of same-sex marriage, for religions will be free to discriminate as they have for hundreds of years. This is about our State Government holding true to the non-discrimination laws they have in place, to afford the same State rights to same-sex couples as they do heterosexual couples. This is a goal of Governor Cuomo who asks everyone to stand up and urge our Legislators to support Marriage Equality.

Before 1967, it was illegal for interracial couples to marry in the United States. People used the same religious and moral arguments to fight against legalization. In the end the rational majority prevailed.

Alderman Wills was bold enough to stand up and accept my challenge to support Marriage Equality and I am proud of him for doing so. He was the only member of our City Council that even responded to my request. After comments from Troy City Councilman Ken Zalewski, Mayor Thane also added her support.

Note: Dan Weaver has expressed his opinion about gays on his blog 6/20/2009:

“The fact that I oppose homosexuality does not necessarily make me a bigot either anymore than the fact that I oppose drug addiction makes me bigoted against drug addicted people, nor does it mean I hate homosexuals or drug addicts.”

With this statement Dan suggests that homosexuality is somehow a choice like taking drugs, sorry Dan, it is not.  That is why New York State instituted anti-discrimination laws to protect sexual orientation from people who oppose it.  Comparing gays with something as negative as drug addicts is a tactic used by bigots to support their irrational opinions.

I oppose bigots but that does not mean I hate Dan Weaver.

Looking Back With Pride

It was June 25, 1989, on Christopher Street in New York City, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots that served as a catalyst in the battle for equality.  It is hard to believe that it has been twenty-two years since I attended that gay pride celebration and it was difficult to get me to attend back then. I was never one to wear my heart on my sleeve and didn’t feel I had much in common with the type of people who went to those events. My partner Ken Yeso presented the trip as a photo opportunity, knowing the exact button to push to get me to do anything.  Arriving in New York among thousands of people there to celebrate one unifying event, a light bulb went off in my head. I finally “got it”; this wasn’t about me, it was about the fight for equality! That was what we all had in common. All the silliness and camp, cross-dressing and gender bending were just expressions of people brave enough to be who they were born to be but none of that mattered here, we were one.

I am publishing here for the first time, a set of photos taken June 25, 1989, on Christopher Street in New York during the Pride Celebration themed We Remember, the 20th Anniversary of Stonewall.  These photos are presented with no excuses or apologies.