Stonewall Riots an important day for LGBTQ community. Here's why the day is observed
Pride came from protest.
A very public protest that happened on Christopher Street in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan in the early morning of June 28. Police were known to raid local bars and places where gay and lesbian community would gather, but on this night things would be different at the Stonewall Inn.
During this time there were laws in place that shut out the LGBTQ community from bars and restaurants.
The incident is largely credited with sparking the gay rights movement — to end the discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
June marks the 53rd year of the annual celebration.
Here's a look at why it is celebrated.
What are the Stonewall Riots?
The Stonewall Riots, also known as the Stonewall Uprising, occurred in the summer of 1969. The incident happened in New York City on June 28, 1969 after police raided a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn. Guests and employees of the bar were forcefully removed the establishment which sparked an uprising in the local community. The subsequent protest lasted for six days, ending on July 2, 1969. It is largely credited with sparking the gay rights movement that began in the late 60s.
What is Pride?
Pride Month is the annual celebration that commemorates and celebrates LGBTQ activism and the formal spark to the gay right movement, the Stonewall Riots of New York City in 1969. It has evolved into a global celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. The entire month is dedicated to the uplifting of LGBTQ voices, celebration of LGBTQ culture and the support of LGBTQ rights.
Why is it in June?
Pride is celebrated throughout the month of June each year because of the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which helped spark the gay rights movement that began in the late 1960s. The first march, which took place one year after the Stonewall Riots on June 28, 1970 became the country’s first gay pride parade. Between 3,000 to 5,000 participants marched 51 blocks from Greenwich Village to Central Park.
In June 2000, President Bill Clinton officially designated June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. President Barack Obama renamed the month, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month, to include the greater LGBT community in 2009. He also designated the Stonewall National Monument to honor the broad LGBT equality movement. Obama said, "Stonewall will be our first national monument to tell the story of the struggle for LGBT rights. I believe our national parks should reflect the full story of our country, the richness and diversity and uniquely American spirit that has always defined us."
Why do we celebrate it?
Pride Month honors the movement for LGBT rights and celebrates LGBT culture with parades, festivities and solemn memorials for those lost to AIDS or homophobic violence. Celebratory events range from carnivalesque celebrations to strident political protest, according to History.com.
What is the Pride Symbol?
The symbol is the rainbow flag that was created in 1978. Each color has a distinctive meaning. There have been many variations of the flag, but the symbol is of LGBTQ pride. The first flag is the six-color flag, red is symbolic of life, orange is symbolic of healing, yellow is sunshine, green is nature, blue represents harmony and purple is spirit. Then two more colors were added creating an eight-color flag. Hot pink was included to represent sex and turquoise to represent magic/art. In the recent years the flag has was altered in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter, black to represent diversity, brown to represent inclusivity and light blue and pink, to represent the trans pride flag.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: What were the Stonewall Riots and why do we commemorate them?
