Pride Month: Remembering Stonewall

Pride Month first started 52 years ago, on June 28th, 1969, with the Stonewall riots in New York City. Stonewall was a turning point in LGBTQ+ history. Police raids of gay bars happened frequently and were often very violent. Stonewall was the first time in LGBTQ+ American history where they fought back, and by the end of the raid between 500 and 600 civilians were in and outside of the bar, fighting back against the police, in an impromptu act of defiance and solidarity.

The following days, more protests followed directly outside Stonewall and around New York City. The night after, thousands of people gathered directly outside the Stonewall Inn and that protest and the others in NYC inspired many others around the country. In the following month, the Gay Liberation front was created to “continue the momentum of the Stonewall Uprising, and to demand an end to the persecution of homosexuals.”

On June 28, 1970, exactly a year after the first Stonewall riot, the Christopher Street Liberation Day commemorated the Stonewall Riots and their impact on the LGBTQ+ community. Marches happened in other major cities of the US as well, some of the most notable ones happened in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago. A year later, more marches happened worldwide, in London, Paris, and Stockholm.

Pride looked significantly different last year because of Covid-19, but as people get vaccinated and venues start to open up Pride will hopefully start to return to how they were pre-covid. It’s also important to recognize intersectionality, and especially the intersection of the Black lives matter movement and the movement for LGBTQ+ rights. Stonewall was a riot against homophobia and police brutality and was led by black and brown trans women who were fighting against a system that devalued and erased their lives. Although pride celebrations look much different today, it’s crucial for us to recognize how we got to the point we are and to be grateful for the incredibly brave individuals like Marsha P. Johnson that laid the foundation for LGBTQ+ Civil rights. 

(put interview here) (interviewer would like to remain anonymous)

Stonewall and its legacy continue to be an inspiration for many LGBTQ+ people and organizations across the globe. Pride has come a long way in the past 52 years, but there is still a lot of work to be done and the LGBTQ+ community will never be fully liberated until every member of the community enjoys the same civil rights as every other citizen in this country.