The Stonewall Riots
The Stonewall Riots, also known as the Stonewall Uprising and Stonewall Rebellion, took place in the early morning of June 28, 1969 and lasted until July 3, 1969. LGBTQ+ protestors and activists fought back against the police raiding of the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, in New York City. This isn't the first time that LGBTQ+ people fought back against police violence, but it did mark a significant change in LGBTQ+ activism. Marginalized people within the LGBTQ+ community such as transgender women of color were at the forefront and started becoming more and more visible, demanding fair treatment not just from the larger society but in the LGBTQ+ community as well.
Three figures that were key in the Stonewall Uprisings were Stormé DeLarverie, a butch lesbian and drag king, Marsha P. Johnson, and Sylvia Rivera, transgender women, gay rights activists, and sex workers. They were the ones who, according to various sources, sparked the uprising by throwing the first brick or bottles at police, and continued being LGBTQ+ activists even after Stonewall.
The Stonewall Riots inspired new groups and marches to form. Marsha and Sylvia both started STAR, or the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries. This organization helped LGBTQ+ homeless youth and transgender sex workers find a place to stay and gather. The Gay Liberation Front and Gay Activist Alliance were created in 1969 in New York for the liberation of all gay people. The first pride parades/marches occured in 1970 in multiple cities across America, also marking the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. That is why June is dedicated as Pride Month. June 2022 marked the 53rd anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, and LGBTQ+ people continue to fight for their rights not just in America but all around the world
- Marsha P. Johnson (source)
- Sylvia Rivera speaking at a Gay Pride Rally in 1973 (source)
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