STONEWALL 50
Max Mutchnick: Stonewall Made It Possible for ‘Will & Grace’ and Other LGBT-Themed Culture to Be Born
‘Will & Grace’ co-creator Max Mutchnick recalls: ‘The first drink I ever had at a gay bar was at The Stonewall Inn. Closeted and underage. The spirits were calling me that night.’
Photo Illustration by Sarah Rogers/The Daily Beast/Photos Getty
In this special series, LGBT celebrities and public figures talk to Tim Teeman about the Stonewall Riots and their legacy—see more here.
Max Mutchnick is the multi-award winning co-creator of Will & Grace.
When/how did you first hear about the Stonewall Riots, and what did you make of them?
I was 3 when the riots happened. Years later, I was on a teen tour to New York City. One night, I snuck off to the Village because I knew that’s where all the gay bars were. The first drink I ever had at a gay bar was at the Stonewall Inn. Closeted and underage. The spirits were calling me that night.
What is the significance of the Stonewall Riots to you?
It’s everything! It was the night my forefathers stood up and said we will no longer be invisible. There’s no doubt in my mind that because of them I am talking to you from my office at Will & Grace. The Stonewall Riots made it possible for Will & Grace and so many other LGBT-themed TV shows, movies, and other pieces of culture to be born.
How far have LGBT people come since 1969?
Not far enough.
What would you like to see, LGBT-wise, in the next 50 years?
Pete Buttigieg in the White House, and all sexual and gender discrimination a thing of the past.
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