JONATHAN LOVITZ: 'I think of the courage of those incredible people'

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Photo credit Jonathan Lovitz
By Jonathan Lovitz, LGBT advocate, lobbyist, and former performer
Exclusive to 1010 WINS
I’ll try not to be cliché, but I can’t help it for a Pride piece; this story begins with a musical reference. When I was 21 years old, I moved to NYC. And like that epic moment belted by the Star-to-Be in Annie, I was nothing but “three bucks, two bags, one me.”  I was lucky-- very lucky -- to have booked a Broadway show’s national tour right before graduation. I saw almost every state in the country that year, and ate every kind of cuisine. But after the novelty of hotels and airports wore off, the one thing I wanted more than anything else was getting back to New York.  I had a taste of this town for the two weeks we rehearsed in midtown Manhattan, and I was hooked.  Sure, I’d been to visit as a kid-- saw the shows, ate the hot dogs. But for the first time in my life I was finally there as someone who had some sense who I was and what I wanted.  I was a 21-year-old gay man in New York City and my entire life was ahead of me.  So, what did I do on my first official evening as a New Yorker following that tour? I dropped my bags in my very, very high floor walkup in Hell’s Kitchen, jumped on the 1 train, and went straight to Stonewall.

New York and Stonewall made me the Gay Man I am So Proud to Be

I’d never seen the Stonewall Inn bar in real life until that day in 2006.  I’d hear about it, of course.  I’d seen the black and white photos from the riots and seen the exterior in countless movies.  But there was something I will never forget about the day I walked in.  Like all the great American monuments, I expected it to be bigger. But the dim light, the tight spaces, and the narrow stairs instantly transport you back to June 1969. There is a presence that surrounds you when you walk into Stonewall that reminds you that history happened here and that everyone who comes through its door is a part of it.  Like now, just the act of being yourself was an act of resistance and activism. I think of the courage of those incredible people who were in the riots and the countless acts of advocacy since and wish I could hug them all and dance the night away upstairs at Stonewall.

Growing up in south Florida (the other NYC borough) was so valuable to helping me define who I am, especially once I started performing and being active in the theater. At a very young age, I was meeting all these incredible older gay men and lesbians who had lived the life in New York, who had lost partners and friends to AIDS, and who had been through the journey. They took me under their wing, and said, “Kid, here’s what I wish someone would have told me at your age -you have a freedom now that we never had as kids — don’t waste that.” I’m so fortunate to have had that. Experiences like this have led to my passion in working with LGBTQ youth. It is intertwined in every facet of my job today and is something that I pursue in my volunteer time I remember one older friend from those formative years, who we have since sadly lost to HIV and AIDS, telling me, “When you get to NYC and become a star, go sit on a stool at Stonewall for me.”

I did.  And I go back to raise a glass and think about our community any chance I get-- especially when there is something to celebrate.  

That’s exactly what happened in 2009 when my life and career radically shifted and took, as I call it, a big, queer, left turn.  After years in the theatre and some small TV roles, I eventually got a screen test for a pilot at MTV. And when I was done there, a friend who was a producer said, “Hey, while you’re in the building, why don’t you come screen test for LOGO? You’re openly gay, and we’re doing a lot of really awesome queer content, and we need young, knowledgeable hosts for some of these programs.” I got the job. I went to Stonewall with my friends to celebrate. And my life has never been the same since.