HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!

While Pride may seem like a big celebration, the origins of Pride are quite different. Here is a brief history of Pride and the Stonewall Riots of 1960. In the 1940’s, 1950’s and 1960’s, NYC police regularly harassed and arrested LGBT people for violating a law that technically never existed, the three-article rule- or three-piece law. The rule stipulated that a person was required to wear at least three gender-appropriate articles of clothing to avoid arrest for cross-dressing. In the 1960s, solicitation of same-sex relations was illegal in New York City and many other places throughout America (and actually remained illegal in 14 states until Lawrence v. Texas in 2003). Police brutality of the LGBT community was often overlooked, and is still happening today, most widely noted within the Transgender community. Often, police would raid gay bars and shut down establishments that served alcohol to known or suspected LGBTQ individuals, arguing that the mere gathering of homosexuals was “disorderly.” On June 28th, 1960, police raided the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, and began arresting LGBTQ patrons. Patrons, including activist Marsha P. Johnson, decided to fight back and began throwing things at the police, including bricks and bottles. The patrons and a diverse community of LGBT protestors, fed up with routine harassment, took to the streets to protest for the following 6 days, which would be known as the “Stonewall Riots.” During the Eastern Regional Conference of Homophile Organizations in 1969, a young activist called for nationwide demonstrations each June in honor of Stonewall. New York’s first pride parade, named the Christopher Street Liberation Day, was held in June of 1970, just a year after the riots. The march began on Christopher Street where the (Stonewall) bar — now a historic landmark — was located, and it ended in Central Park. The event attracted thousands and signaled another important milestone. In the years that followed more cities and towns organized parades in support of gay rights. When organizers were looking for a slogan for the event, a member of the planning committee, L. Craig Schoonmaker, suggested ”Pride.“ The idea of ”Gay Power” was thrown around as well, but Schoonmaker argued that while gay individuals lacked power, one thing they did have was pride. The official chant for the march became: “Say it loud, gay is proud.” Sources: [History.com; 7 Facts about Stonewall Riots , Stonewall Riots , Georgetown.edu , avp.org , loc.gov ]