Long before Pride became one of Rochester’s largest celebrations, Ramona Santorelli helped organize the city’s very first Pride Parade and spent decades advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, women’s equality, and civil liberties. She joins us to share the stories behind those pivotal moments, the challenges activists faced, and why Rochester played such an important role in advancing equality.
From organizing Rochester’s first Pride Parade to helping change New York law through the historic “Topfree Seven” case, Ramona reflects on a lifetime of activism, community, and the people who inspired her along the way.
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