It all started in New York City. All the marching, the rainbows, the pride, the movement started at a tiny neighbourhood gay bar known as The Stonewall. On June 28, 1969, plainclothes police officers raided the bar, arresting patrons and targeting transgender and non-gender conformist individuals. In response, thousands rioted and protested, sometimes violently, against the raids and police conduct. Those riots marked the birth of the modern gay rights movement, and in the riots’ aftermath a number of groups, including the Gay Liberation Front, organised to fight discrimination against GLBT individuals.
Today, New York City’s Pride parade pays tribute to Stonewall. And around the world Pride parades remind us of the power of collective voices, while festivities celebrate the diversity of humanity.
Heritage of Pride, Inc. Vision Statement:
Heritage of Pride strives to empower individuals, groups and our community as a whole through the commemoration of our history, in particular the Stonewall Riots of June 1969. New York City’s Pride Events provide an opportunity to join together to celebrate our lives, take joy in all that we have done, and honour all those who have helped make our progress possible. The events provide a safe and affirming space in New York City while educating those both in and outside our own community. In creating these pride events, we reaffirm the self-worth of all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and all those who join in the ongoing struggle for our civil rights.
Dennis Spafford, Media Director for New York Pride:
The Spirit of Stonewall is alive and well in the hearts of all those people from across the globe who demand to be treated with respect and dignity.
From the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) website:
A few weeks after the 1969 Stonewall Inn uprising, a group of young, gay New York City radicals came together to form the Gay Liberation Front, launching the lesbian and gay civil rights movement. Actions included picketing anti-gay establishments, ‘kiss a queer’ booths at mainstream student functions, and alliances with organizations such as the Black Panthers.
From About.com:
The Stonewall is an unassuming little bar in Manhattan’s West Village that has become a true landmark in gay history. More than 35 years ago, the New York gay community rose up here in a riot that sparked the modern gay rights movement.
