The idea, Sargeant explained, was to commemorate the Stonewall Riots and move away from a conservatism that had mired LGBTQ organizations, such as the Mattachine Societies, that led the movement at the time. New York Daily News via Getty Imagesįred Sargeant, one of the original organizers of the march, recalled his experiences in the Village Voice. LGBTQ advocates show their support on the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. “So, by 1969, LGBT people were quite fed up with this unfairness and decided to fight back.”Ī year after the riots, the Christopher Street Liberation Day Umbrella Committee held the first Pride March.
“Police brutality (particularly NYPD raids of gay bars, nightclubs, and bathhouses) had been documented in New York City since the beginning of the century,” Kevin Nadal, executive director at the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies, previously wrote in an email. Police and protesters were injured, and dozens were arrested. When police tried to arrest and mistreated the bar’s customers and employees (including trans women of color), four nights of rioting commenced. But in June 1969, LGBTQ patrons at the Stonewall Inn in New York City decided they had enough and refused to cooperate with police. Through the 1960s, it was fairly common for police to raid gay- and trans-friendly bars. That first march, back when the events were known as Gay Pride Marches, took place in New York City in 1970 in commemoration of the Stonewall Riots. Back in the 1970s, Gallup found Americans were evenly split on whether homosexuality should be legal in the first place. The first march came at a time when Americans were considerably less accepting of LGBTQ people. Pride celebrations began to commemorate a pro-LGBTQ uprising It speaks to the mixed nature of LGBTQ Pride Month: It’s a time to celebrate a person’s true identity, but it’s also a time to stake some ground in the ongoing political and cultural battles for equality. The less friendly political climate, however, is in line with the original Pride marches, which were often protests - not celebrations - in response to the violence and brutality that LGBTQ people faced at the hands of their fellow Americans, police, and the government. Although LGBTQ advocates have seen big gains in recent years, the election of President Donald Trump and recent policy efforts against LGBTQ rights - from Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military to anti-transgender bathroom bills in North Carolina and Texas - have shown just how fragile these gains can be. This year, Pride celebrations fall in a markedly different atmosphere. In recent years, the month has been marked by celebration - over the US Supreme Court's decision to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide, as well as some of the other progress made in LGBTQ rights in broader American politics and culture. June is LGBTQ Pride Month, which means Americans around the country should expect some colorful marches throughout the month as people make a stand for equality.