Stonewall Inn Riots – Lesbian, Gay Rights Movement Born
New York City police raided a lesbian and gay bar, the Stonewall Inn, at 51–53 Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, New York City early in the morning of this day. Patrons of the bar, fed up with police harassment, fought back and disturbances lasted for several days, continuing through July 3rd.
The event became famous as the Stonewall Inn riots and it is generally regarded as a pivotal event that spurred the birth of a national LGBT movement.
Police raids of gay bars were an established tradition in many cities. The police conducted them to both harass the gay and lesbian patrons and to shake down the owners and managers of the bars for any alleged violation of the law they could find. In Los Angeles the police raided the Black Cat, s gay bar, on January 1, 1967. Instead of a riot, the raid prompted months of protests by PRIDE (Personal Rights in Defense and Education). The group’s newsletter became the Los Angeles Advocate and later The Advocate, which became a leader gay and lesbian magazine.
The most important long-term impact of the Stonewall Riots was the organization of annual Gay Pride marches across the country the following year. The first occurred on June 28, 1970.
On June 23, 2015 the Stonewall Inn was designated a city landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Read: David Carter, Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution (2004)
Learn more about the Stonewall uprising: http://www.thestonewallinnnyc.com/StonewallInnNYC/HISTORY.html
Visit the GLBT History Museum: http://www.glbthistory.org/museum/
Learn more: http://www.civilrights.org/archives/2009/06/449-stonewall.html
And learn about lesbian and gay activists before Stonewall: Vern Bullough, Before Stonewall (2002)