ARGUED, HOMOSEXUALS GATHERING WAS IN ITSELF
A DISORDERLY ACT.

THE NEW YORK CITY MAFIA SAW A WAY TO
CAPITALIZE ON THE NEEDS OF THE LGBTQ+ FOLK
BY OPENING UP THEIR OWN GAY CLUBS AND BARS,
AND IN 1966 THEY PURCHASED, RENOVATED, AND
REOPENED THE STONEWALL INN, A PREVIOUSLY
STRAIGHT BAR AND RESTAURANT. STONEWALL
QUICKLY BECAME POPULAR AS A SAFE SPACE

FOR LGBTQ+ FOLK, DRAG QUEENS (WHO WERE NOT
WELCOME AT ANY OTHER INSTITUTIONS), AND
RUNAWAYS OR HOMELESS YOUTH. IT WAS ALSO ONE
OF THE ONLY GAY BARS THAT ALLOWED DANCING.
POLICE STILL RAIDED THE CLUB, BUT SINCE THE
MAFIA PAID THEM OFF TO LEAVE THE CLUB ALONE,
THEY WOULD RECEIVE A TIP IF THE POLICE WERE
ON THEIR WAY. HOWEVER, ON THAT EARLY JUNE
MORNING, THAT TIP NEVER CAME.

ARMED WITH A WARRANT, POLICE ENTERED THE
CLUB, ROUGHED UP PATRONS, AND ARRESTED ABOUT
13 PEOPLE WHO WERE EITHER EMPLOYEES AT THE
CLUB OR VIOLATORS OF THE GENDER CLOTHING
STATUTE. FEMALE OFFICERS WOULD HAVE TO

TAKE VIOLATORS TO THE BATHROOMS TO CHECK

IF THEIR SEX WAS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THEIR
CLOTHING. POLICE RAIDS WERE ROUTINE AT THE
TIME, AND PATRONS WOULD USUALLY LEAVE THE
CLUB AND FILTER OUT QUICKLY, BUT THIS TIME
THE GAY COMMUNITY WAS TIRED OF THE CONSTANT
HARASSMENT AND FOUGHT BACK. PATRONS AND
NETGHBOURING RESIDENTS STAYED OUTSIDE OF THE
BAR RATHER THAN DISPERSING AND YELLED AT THE
POLICE. THEY WATCHED AND BECAME INCREASINGLY
AGITATED AS POLICE ARRESTED AND MAN-HANDLED
SEVERAL PATRONS.

IT WASN’T UNTIL ONE OFFICER HIT
A WOMAN OVER THE HEAD AS HE
FORCED HER INTO A PADDY WAGON—
SHE RESPONDED BY SHOUTING AT
ONLOOKERS TO DO SOMETHING—
THAT THE CROWD WAS INCITED
TO THROW OBJECTS AT THE
POLICE. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
IS STILL SOMETHING OF A
MYSTERY. SOME SAY PEOPLE
STARTED THROWING COINS AT
THE POLICE, A SYMBOLIZATION
OF THE CORRUPTION OF THE
NEW YORK STATE AUTHORITIES.
SOME SAY MARSHA P. JOHNSON,
A TRANS WOMAN OF COLOUR AND
GAY RIGHTS ACTIVIST, THREW
THE FIRST BOTTLE. SOME
SAY SYLVIA RIVERA, ALSO
A TRANS WOMAN OF COLOUR
AND ACTIVIST, THREW
THE FIRST BRICK. AS
KELENDRIA NATION, A TRANS
WOMAN OF COLOUR EDUCATOR
AND ACTIVIST SAID, “THE
STONEWALL RIOTS ARE A BIT
OF A FOLKLORE; NO ONE KNOWS
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED OR WHO
THREW THE FIRST BOTTLE, BUT
WE DO KNOW THAT TRANS WOMEN
WERE AT THE FOREFRONT.”

   
  
  
  
  

WITHIN MINUTES, A RIOT ERUPTED
BETWEEN THE PATRONS OF THE STONEWALL
INN AND THE NYPD. AS POLICE ATTEMPTED

TO DIFFUSE THE CROWD, THE PROTEST SPREAD TO
NEIGHBOURING STREETS. ORDER WAS NOT RESTORED
UNTIL NYC RIOT POLICE WERE CALLED IN. THE
CROWD WAS EVENTUALLY DISPERSED, BUT RIOTS
AND PROTESTS CONTINUED ON WITH AS MUCH AS
ONE THOUSAND PEOPLE. SIX DAYS OF PROTESTS
AND VIOLENT DEMONSTRATIONS AGAINST THE NEW
YORK LAW ENFORCEMENT FOLLOWED THE RIOT,
BECOMING THE FIRST MAJOR PROTEST FOR THE
EQUAL RIGHTS OF LGBTQ+ FOLK AND SERVING AS A
CATALYST OF THE GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT.

GAY RIGHTS ACTIVISTS BEGAN PLOTTING THE
FIRST EVER PRIDE PARADE ON JUNE 28, 1970;
EXACTLY ONE YEAR AFTER THE STONEWALL RIOTS.
THEY MARCHED OVER 51 BLOCKS, AND AT THEIR
DESTINATION THEY THEN HELD A “GAY-IN.” NEWS
OF THIS PICKED UP, PRIDE MARCHES BEGAN
HAPPENING ALL OVER AMERICA, AND SOON IT
BECAME A YEARLY TRADITION. THE BIRTH OF GAY
PRIDE. THE STONEWALL INN IS NOW A MONUMENT,
AND CHRISTOPHER PARK HOSTS A NATIONAL
MONUMENT WITH STATUES COMMEMORATING THE
PEOPLE WHO PAVED THE WAY FOR GAY LIBERATION.
HOWEVER, EVEN THOUGH TRANS ICONS LIKE MARSHA
P, JOHNSON AND SYLVIA RIVERA WERE MAJOR
ICONS IN THE RIOTS AND IN THE GAY RIGHTS
LIBERATION, THEY ARE NOT REPRESENTED BY
THESE STATUES.

MARSHA P, JOHNSON WAS A TRANS ICON, DRAG
QUEEN, ACTIVIST AND REVOLUTIONARY FIGURE

IN THE LIBERATION OF LGBTQ PEOPLE. IN 1970,
SHE JOINED THE GAY LIBERATION FRONT AND MET
FELLOW TRANS ACTIVIST SYLVIA RIVERA. THE TWO
QUICKLY BECAME GOOD FRIENDS AND CREATED THE
STREET TRANSVESTITE ACTION REVOLUTIONARIES
(STAR), A GENDER NONCONFORMING AND
TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST ORGANIZATION. THEY ALSO
FOUNDED THE STAR HOUSE, THE FIRST HOUSING
ORGANIZATION THAT SUPPLIED CLOTHES, FOOD,
SHELTER, AND ADVICE TO HOMELESS OR TROUBLED
TRANS YOUTH. THEY FOUGHT FOR THEIR ENTIRE
LIVES FOR THE INCLUSION OF DRAG QUEENS AND
TRANS PEOPLE IN THE PRIDE MOVEMENT UNTIL
THEIR UNFORTUNATE DEATHS, WHICH WERE DEEMED
SUICIDES BY THE POLICE. JOHNSON DID HAVE A
HISTORY OF MENTAL ILLNESS, BUT CLOSE FRIENDS
OF HERS HAVE STATED THAT SHE WAS NEVER
SUICIDAL. CONSIDERING THE VIOLENCE THAT TOOK
PLACE AGAINST TRANS PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY TRANS
PEOPLE OF COLOUR IN THE PAST AND EVEN IN THE
PRESENT (GLAAD CLAIMS THAT 15 TRANSGENDER
WOMEN OF COLOUR HAVE BEEN KILLED IN 2017
ALONE), JOHNSON’S DEATH AS A HOMICIDE IS
PLAUSIBLE.

WE HOLD OUR PRIDE EVENTS TODAY BECAUSE OF
THE BRAVE LGBTQ+ PEOPLE WHO HAD NOTHING ELSE
TO LOSE AND FOUGHT HARD FOR LGBTQ+ EQUALITY
AND REPRESENTATION. WE HAVE PRIDE NOT ONLY
TO COMMEMORATE THOSE PEOPLE, BUT ALSO TO
DEMAND VISIBILITY, EQUALITY, AND SOLIDARITY
FOR ALL GAY, LESBIAN, AND TRANSGENDER PEOPLE
AROUND THE WORLD. YOU MIGHT NOT FEEL A
CONNECTION TO THOSE WHO PROTESTED IN NEW
YoRK IN 1969, BUT IT IS ONLY BECAUSE OF THEM
THAT WE ARE ABLE TO CELEBRATE PRIDE AT ALL.

IT MAY SEEM LIKE WE HAVE COME A LONG WAY
SINCE THE STONEWALL RIOTS, BUT WE AREN’T
QUITE FINISHED FIGHTING YET.