Todays date in 1969, the Stonewall riot broke out in NYC

[irisblue]

https://www.history.com/articles/the-stonewall-riots


snip-Constant Raids at Gay Bars
The 1960s and preceding decades were not welcoming times for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans. For instance, solicitation of same-sex relations was illegal in New York City.

For such reasons, LGBT individuals flocked to gay bars and clubs, places of refuge where they could express themselves openly and socialize without worry. However, the New York State Liquor Authority penalized and shut down establishments that served alcohol to known or suspected LGBT individuals, arguing that the mere gathering of homosexuals was “disorderly.”

Thanks to activists’ efforts, these regulations were overturned in 1966, and LGBT patrons could then be served alcohol. But engaging in gay behavior in public (holding hands, kissing or dancing with someone of the same sex) was still illegal, so police harassment of gay bars continued and many bars still operated without liquor licenses—in part because they were owned by the Mafia.


Way way more info at source.
Worth the time to read IMO.

[irisblue]

1. A Brief History of Storm DeLarverie, Stonewall's Suiting Icon

https://www.gq.com/story/storme-delarverie-suiting#:~:text=Nobody%20knows%20for%20sure%20who,performer%2C%20who%20died%20in%202014.

snip-"Nobody knows for sure who threw the first punch at the Stonewall Uprising in New York City in 1969. But it’s widely believed that it could have been Stormé DeLarverie, a lifelong gay rights activist and drag performer, who died in 2014. Prior to her participation in Stonewall, DeLarverie was a groundbreaking drag performer whose publicity photographs show a dandyish approach to zoot suits and black tie. Gender-fluid dressing has become a major force in fashion over the past few seasons, but DeLarverie’s approach to style is an early, striking instance of it. (In our drag king roundtable, New York artist Merlot pays homage to DeLarverie.)"

More there

[irisblue]

2. From National Geographic

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


snip-"What was the Stonewall uprising?
A June 1969 police raid of the New York bar erupted into a days-long rebellion that lit a fire under the fight for LGBTQ rights.


snip-"But when police raided the Stonewall Inn in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, things didn’t go as expected. Patrons and onlookers fought back—and the days-long melee that ensued, characterized then as a riot and now known as the Stonewall Rebellion, helped spark the modern LGBTQ civil rights movement."

snip-"What was life like for LGBTQ people?
LGBTQ people had long been subject to social sanction and legal harassment for their sexual orientation, which had been criminalized on the pretexts of religion and morality. By the 1960s, homosexuality was clinically classified as a mental disorder, and most municipalities in the United States had discriminatory laws that forbade same-sex relationships and denied basic rights to anyone suspected of being gay. Although some gay rights groups had begun to protest this treatment publicly, many LGBTQ people led their lives in secret.

New York City, however, was home to a large LGBTQ population and a thriving gay nightlife. Gay bars were rare places where people could be open about their sexual orientation. By 1969, activists had compelled the New York state liquor authority to overturn its policy against issuing liquor licenses to gay bars. Profit was a motive. Owners, many of whom were associated with organized crime, saw a business opportunity in catering to a gay clientele; they had also learned to avoid raids by greasing police officers’ palms with bribes."

snip-"What happened at Stonewall?
On the night of the raid, police arrived intending to follow their usual pattern of seizing the bar’s liquor and arresting its patrons. But this time, the patrons resisted, and violence broke out as the officers tried to calm the crowd. In a spontaneous outpouring of frustration, patrons and onlookers began yelling and throwing objects at the police."


much more there

[irisblue]

3. The NatGeo article has a graphic of the LGBTQ gathering places pre 1950-2018

[irisblue]

4. PBS-American Experience has a video here

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/stonewall/

snip-"When police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of New York City on June 28, 1969, the street erupted into violent protests that lasted for the next six days. The Stonewall riots, as they came to be known, marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement in the United States and around the world."

[irisblue]

5. Columbus Ohis' Stonewall organization

https://stonewallcolumbus.org/history/


snip-"Stonewall Columbus (formerly known as Stonewall Union) was incorporated by local Columbus, Ohio gay activists in 1981, in response to Jerry Falwell’s attempt to establish a Columbus based Moral Majority headquarters. His attempt failed and over time Stonewall has become a major part of the Columbus gay community. The organization derives its name from the location of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, the Stonewall Inn, located in Greenwich Village, New York City. The founding members established three primary goals for Stonewall Union: political lobbying and legislative reform, community building, and education.

Stonewall has been integral to the success of many pro-gay rights initiatives, including Governor Richard Celeste’s 1983 executive order protecting the hiring and promotion of gays and lesbians in state jobs; the 1988 Hobson AIDS Bill; and Columbus’ 1992 city ordinance prohibiting hiring discrimination based on sexual orientation.

In the early days Stonewall also published voters’ guides focusing on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) issues, in terms of candidate endorsements as well as support for pro-gay rights ballot issues. In 1982, they organized the first Columbus gay pride parade, involving over 1000 people (after expecting less than 400). They also worked as a local organizer for the 1987 March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights."


More there

[irisblue]

6. We are not going to go back or fade away as LGBTQA+community

[NCgayguy]

8. We are SO NEVER GOING BACK!

[NCgayguy]

7. Stonewall created a movement for the WORLD!

Dear irisblue,

THANK YOU for your post on STONEWALL REMEMBRANCE DAY! It's so important for people to know!

I don't understand the lack of interest from those claiming to be advocates for democracy and yet ignore us. Same sex couples were only granted Marriage Equality TEN YEARS AGO!!! ONLY TEN YEARS AGO! So, YES, our history is just as important as the news of the "NEW POPE" that was being blabbered about all over the place, yet mention Stonewall and you hear crickets.

You are an unstoppable force and together we will live in a future where everyone will care about our people and our historical remembrances and celebrations too!

As I said before in one of my post-

We have been here since the beginning of humanity. We are from every continent. We speak every language. We are of every religion and non religious groups in the world. We are of every skin tone, every culture and YES, WE are of every gender. Our transgender brothers and sisters are our family!

Thank you, irisblue, truly, thank you!

May You Be Healthy, Safe and Happy AND LOVED!
Reis

[irisblue]

9. ::blush:: Thank you NCgayguy

[electric_blue68]

10. While, I don't remember the date, I DO remember it as an NYC'r.

Probably 1 or 2 years later when I got to college (Art was one of 4 majors)...they held their first gay dance.
👍