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Stonewall Riots: New York City
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The Stonewall Riots were a series of violent conflicts between New York City police officers and groups of gay and transgender people that began during the early morning of June 28, 1969, and lasted several days. Also called the Stonewall Rebellion, Stonewall Revolution or simply Stonewall, the clash was a watershed for the worldwide gay rights movement, as gay and transgender people had never before acted together in such large numbers to forcibly resist police harassment directed towards their community.
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Four months after the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, radical queer activism (at least in New York City) seems dead. Most so-called "radical" activist groups are focusing on November's elections, visibility, and lobbying. As long as queers expend their energies in futile legislative struggles, liberation will take a backseat to reformism and begging and pleading for a "place at the table."
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Many identify the Stonewall Riots as the beginning of community organization in North America. In 1969, tired of police harassment, the patrons of the Stonewall bar in New York City, led by a handful of gays (some in drag), rose up in protest at the arrests and humiliation. Political activity was sparked by the event, and the first organized Pride march was planned the year following by the Christopher Street Liberation Day Committee to remember the Stonewall riots.
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The story of the Stonewall riot has grown over the years, evolving from a small but significant event in gay history to the major symbol of a movement. Is it the starting point of gay history? No. Is it the starting point of the gay rights movement? No. But it did create a rallying point for the movement, one that 25 years later brought over a million people together in New York City to commemorate the historic event with an international celebration and protest.
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Beginning in 1970, marches have taken place in New York City (as well as in countless places worldwide) every year on the date of the Stonewall Riots. In June 1994 hundreds of thousands of people converged on the city to celebrate Stonewall's 25th anniversary.
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