Stonewall Fifty: A Legacy of Liberation Suffolk Commands Host LGBT Pride Month Observance

Photo By Robert Fluegel | Sailors and Department of the Navy civilian employees assigned to Naval Information...... read more read more

Photo By Robert Fluegel | Sailors and Department of the Navy civilian employees assigned to Naval Information Forces (NAVIFOR), Joint Staff – Hampton Roads, U.S. Fleet Cyber Command South, Naval Network Warfare Command, and Navy Cyber Defense Operations Command observed and honored Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride month in Suffolk, Virginia, June 27. The event’s guest speaker, Electronic Technician Senior Chief (SW/AW) Tiffany R. Barber, NAVIFOR’s Maintenance and Material Management Coordinator (3MC). This year’s theme, “Catalyst: 50 Years of Activism,” marked the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprisings in New York, and the birth of the modern Pride movement. (U.S. Navy photo by Robert Fluegel / RELEASED  see less | View Image Page

SUFFOLK, VA, UNITED STATES

06.27.2019

Story by Jacquelynn Fisher 

Naval Information Forces

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More than 250 Sailors and Department of the Navy civilian employees assigned to Naval Information Forces (NAVIFOR), Joint Staff – Hampton Roads, U.S. Fleet Cyber Command South, Naval Network Warfare Command, and Navy Cyber Defense Operations Command observed and honored Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride month in Suffolk, Virginia, June 27.

This year’s theme, “Catalyst: 50 Years of Activism,” marked the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprisings in New York, and the birth of the modern Pride movement.

Vice Adm. Brian Brown, commander, NAVIFOR, delivered the LGBT Pride month observance’s opening remarks, and introduced the event’s guest speaker, Electronic Technician Senior Chief (SW/AW) Tiffany R. Barber, NAVIFOR’s Maintenance and Material Management Coordinator (3MC).

In his opening remarks, Brown thanked those in attendance, stating, “Without you, there would be no program, and we would lose all of these important lessons about diversity, inclusion and the value of everyone to mission readiness.”

LGBT Pride month recognizes the Stonewall riots that occurred in Manhattan in June 1969 as the beginning of the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. On June 11, 1999, President Clinton signed a Proclamation establishing June as Gay & Lesbian Pride month, Thirty years after the Stonewall riots. Eleven years later, President Obama recognized bisexual and transgender members, re-naming June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride month.

LGBT Pride month is an annual event that recognizes the importance of diversity within society as well as the many achievements of LGBT individuals. Barber reflected on a time when this was not the case.

“We have been living among you, working alongside you, and sleeping in berthing with you since well before any of you in this room can remember,” said Barber. “We were afraid to be ourselves and afraid to fall in love. Not because we couldn’t be ourselves, but because it was inherently dangerous to our careers, health and well-being if we were found out.”

Throughout her 21-year Navy career, Barber served in various roles to include five years directly supporting the Obama administration. Over that time, Barber witnessed a change in attitude towards the LGBT community. Last year, she celebrated those changes and created a Chief Petty Officer challenge coin that, according to Barber, represents “the thousands of Chief Petty Officers within the Rainbow Mess because there was no coin available to embody our vast CPO community.”

The coin is in the shape of a star. The upward point of the star represents the spirit of the community and the other four points are representative of an element; earth, air, fire, and water. According to Barber, “All these things contribute to life and are part of each one of us.”

One side features a tri-anchor with the words “Love is love, no longer silent,” and “Navy Chief, Navy Pride.” The other side features the U.S. Navy emblem and the words “Out of many, we are one,” and “Serving openly since September 20, 2011.”

Using a quote from former President Barack Obama, Barber concluded her presentation with, "Every generation of Americans has brought our nation closer to fulfilling its promise of equality. While progress has taken time, our achievements in advancing the rights of LGBTQ Americans remind us that history is on our side, and that the American people will never stop striving toward liberty and justice for all."

NAVIFOR’s mission is to generate, directly and through our leadership of the Information Warfare (IW) Enterprise, agile and technically superior manned, trained, equipped, and certified combat ready IW forces to ensure our Navy will decisively DETER, COMPETE, and WIN.

For more information on NAVIFOR, visit the command's web site at http://www.public.navy.mil/fltfor/navifor/Pages/Default2.aspx, our Navy News Web page at http://www.navy.mil/local/navifor or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/USNavyInformationDominanceForces.