SAG-AFTRA Stands United for LGBTQ Rights at REBEL628 Launch

SAG-AFTRA honored the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots at an event in West Hollywood, California on April 9. The union sponsored the launch party for LGBTQ advocacy group Pride Live’s REBEL628 campaign, co-founded by Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon, David Cooley, Levi Jackson Foster, Amber Whittington and SAG-AFTRA member Raymond Braun.

REBEL628’s name references June 28, the date of the Stonewall anniversary, a moment credited as the beginning of the modern-day gay liberation movement. The event, hosted at The Chapel, honored Stonewall Inn owner Kurt Kelly with the inaugural REBEL628 Legacy Award.

"SAG-AFTRA is thrilled to be involved in helping to commemorate this watershed moment in the LGBTQ civil rights struggle. Our core values as a union are aligned with this fight — solidarity, equality, diversity and empowerment. I'm proud that many of our members in the entertainment and media industry have been on the vanguard of lending their voices to create change and equality for LGBTQ individuals," said SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director David White, who serves as a Stonewall Ambassador along with Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.

SAG-AFTRA Executive Vice President and New York Local President Rebecca Damon joined White and Crabtree-Ireland at the event, along with LGBT Committee Co-Chair Jason Stuart, SAG-AFTRA members Wilson Cruz, influencers Stevie Mackey, James Bland, Jesse Pattison, Alexis Zall and other members.

REBEL628’s mission is to engage a new generation to empower and advance the fight for full LGBTQ equality. “With so much at stake, it’s crucial that our next generation of young people, our media stars and influencers not only have a seat at the table, but are setting the table, planning the menu and forging the path for equal rights,” White told the attendees. “SAG-AFTRA is thrilled to support REBEL628 and the next generation who will lead the LGBTQ civil rights struggle. Together, we can lead our society to full equality.”

Photo: From left, SAG-AFTRA Chief Operating Officer and Stonewall Ambassador Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, Pride Live Board of Directors President Havilah Clarke and SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Stonewall Ambassador David White at The Chapel on April 9. (Photo by: Adam Schultz/SAG-AFTRA)