Remembering Stonewall
- 22 hours ago
- 2 min read
Remembering June 28th, 1969, at The Stonewall Inn.
If you’ve ever been curious about queer history in North America, you may have come across the Stonewall Rebellion, also named the Stonewall Riots, Stonewall Uprising, or simply Stonewall.
The Stonewall Rebellion is a landmark in queer and trans history, and is widely regarded as one of the most important events in our shared struggle, as it was a pivotal moment in the beginning of the gay rights movement.
Throughout the 60s, the community faced endless discrimination and violence. On June 28th, 1969, police raided The Stonewall Inn, a beloved gay bar amongst 2SLGBTQIA+ people in New York City. That night, the people had enough; they fought back and didn’t stop. The fight continued for another 6 days throughout the neighbourhood.
Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Stormé DeLarverie are some of the most well-known figures involved in the Stonewall Rebellion, and for good reason. Their decades of activism left a lasting impact on the queer and trans community. Through their activism, Johnson and Rivera formed the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR). STAR supported young transgender people, especially trans people of colour, who were experiencing homelessness, a situation they had both been familiar with in their own youth. Johnson and Rivera were fierce leaders in the fight to include trans people in the gay rights movement and DeLarverie is quoted to have been the "self-appointed guardian" of the LGBT community.
The riots at Stonewall served as a catalyst to the gay rights movement, slowly from there, but not without a fight, 2SLGBTQIA+ rights have progressed. In the years that followed, many cities organized their first pride marches, and 2SLGBTQIA+ centres began to emerge across the North America. Our collective progression can in many ways be attributed to the queer and trans folk who fought back at Stonewall in 1969.
Eventually, June was recognized as Pride Month to honour the legacy of the Stonewall Rebellion and those who risked everything for the justice of our community.
To find out more about Stonewall, the people, and the years before and after, visit https://stonewallforever.org/.
Happy Pride Month. Remember: Pride has always been a protest.
