The nondescript building (above) is the Stonewall Inn, located in Greenwich Village, New York City, USA. It was on this night, June 28-29, 1969, that the Stonewall Inn Riots occurred, which changed forever the lives of GLBTQ (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer) people not only here in the USA but throughout the world. The image shows the Stonewall Inn as it appeared in 1969.
On this night, New York City police conducted what they thought would be a routine raid against the Stonewall and its clientele. That didn't happen. Instead, the "complacent" clientele, meaning the GLBTQ patrons at the bar, not only resisted arrest and harassment, they forcefully fought off the police and instead trapped them inside the facility.
What transpired that night initially didn't seem extraordinary nor credible. Prior to June 28, 1969, the "homosexuals" were deemed a deviant menace to society. They were regularly and routinely thought of as an indecent and immoral class of citizens and habitually discriminated against, stereotyped, outlawed and harassed, not only by law enforcement, but also by courts, employers, churches and clergy, their fellow citizens and the U. S. government.
The above images are of the rioting outside the Stonewall Inn on June 28/29, 1969. Photos courtesy the New York Village Voice
newspaper.
By 1969, the "homosexual" community (as the GLBTQ community was then known) was totally disgusted with this second-class status. They had helped the Black community protest for equality, the anti-war community demonstrate against the war in Vietnam and feminists causes. They were ready to strike back against injustice on their own.
They were angry, frustrated and tired. Unfortunately, the police raid against the Stonewall Inn happened to be the Bastille they rallied to defend.
Rather than fade away quietly into the night, they reacted. Their reaction created one of the pivotal civil rights and human rights movements that humanity has witnessed. A grassroots revolution that is currently underway, even today, throughout the world.
The Rainbow Flag wasn't born that night in New York City. It didn't come to symbolize the GLBTQ international community until years later. It does represent the freedom that all GLBTQ people throughout the world seek. And it is a bold and colorful reminder of what those "homosexuals" revolted against all those many years ago.
Happy Stonewall Anniversary! Happy Gay Pride!
Peace! Get naked. Enjoy!
Bare With Pride
