50 Years of Stonewall

CBS News

Pride month was extra special this year as it marked the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, the very beginning of Pride for all LGBT.

Independent.co.uk

What was the Stonewall Riots?

If you don't know the story already, Stonewall was a series or riots, otherwise known as the Stonewall uprising in 1969, where police raided the the Stonewall Inn, in Greenwhich Village in New York City, and LGBT decided to defend themselves. Due to these riots, an international gay rights movement was born and, if it wasn't for those brave people, we wouldn't have the Pride we do now.

JSTOR 

Although in England, homosexuality had been legal since 1967, in New York City it was still an illegal act between same-sex individuals. Gay and lesbian bars were a safe haven and allowed us to thrive in the corners we'd been kicked to. However, this didn't mean the police wouldn't raid a gay bar and also exert their authority over those inside it.

Allthatsinteresting.com

One such night, or the early hours of the morning, on Saturday, June 28th 1969, nine policemen raided the Stonewall Inn and arrested staff for selling alcohol without a license and some other customers (there was a law at the time that a police officer could arrest an individual for not wearing at least three articles of gender-appropriate clothing). Many were taken into custody. This would be the third raid in a short period of time for the gay bar. This time would be very different.

history.com

Instead of the usual passive behavior, the onlookers shouted back... then they began throwing glass bottles and bricks, forcing police to call for back up and barricades. It's been alleged, pretty wildly, that the first brick thrown at a police officer was Marsha P. Johnson (who I will get to in a minute). The crowd was dispersed, but the following next few days would be continued shouting and hostility toward the police. It's their determination and refusal to back down that began the journey of Pride for us.



More on Stonewall:
https://www.history.com/topics/gay-rights/the-stonewall-riots
https://www.stonewall.org.uk/about-us/news/stonewall-uprising-50-years-lgbt-history
https://www.britannica.com/event/Stonewall-riots
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/stonewall-participants/