June is normally a time for celebration among the LGBTQ community. But in the age of COVID, there will be no Pride parades, parties, or other personal gatherings with our friends and loved ones. Instead we must consider other ways to celebrate our history and shared experiences.
As our nation joins voices together in condemnation of the systemic racism that led to the death of George Floyd, it is also important to hearken back to the prejudices of 50 years ago that launched the gay pride movement.
The first Pride march in this country was in response to police harassment and violence against the gay community. The Stonewall riots occurred on June 28, 1969 when police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village. Same sex relationships were illegal at that time in New York, so gay people found ways to meet at gay bars and clubs. The police typically raided the gay clubs and both harassed and arrested the people inside. After years of persecution by police, catalyzed by the incident at the Stonewall Inn, gay people took to the streets for six days of protest, demanding fair treatment and equality.
Read more...https://alliance1.org/web/news...id-civil-unrest.aspx
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