In June 1969, cops raided the Stonewall Inn, which ignited days of street protests and led to the formation of the Gay Liberation Front. Stonewall was only the breaking point — there were several other acts of civil disobedience that laid the groundwork for the Stonewall riots to affect real change. Furthermore, many of the tactics used by GLF and queer activists were directly borrowed from Black men civil rights leaders.

Although now it’s a month to don all the glitter and rainbows and fans we can find, it’s also important to remember that it was the riotous, revolutionary spirit that launched this important commemoration of queer love, and if there’s ever a time to embody that spirit, it’s now - when LGBTQ+ rights are disappearing in front of our eyes.

Intro song by Remmington Taylor [IG: @rmmngtn]

SOURCES

https://www.si.edu/stories/marsha-johnson-sylvia-rivera-and-history-pride-month

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/stonewall-uprising-ignited-modern-lgbtq-rights-movement

https://qz.com/1316793/a-lesson-on-civility-from-the-stonewall-riots

https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/03/01/stonewall-riots-mark-segal-veteran-queer-lgbt/

https://www.npca.org/articles/3329-why-stonewall-matters-now-more-than-ever

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/06/nyregion/stonewall-riots-nypd.html

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20190625-stonewall-riots-the-beacon-for-people-around-the-world

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/04/us/stonewall-riots-gay-pride.html

https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/stonewall?utm_source=si.edu&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=story

https://www.history.com/news/lgbtq-uprisings-before-stonewall-riots

https://news.yahoo.com/different-fight-same-goal-black-093010982.html