How It all started at Stonewall Inn

Written by Gina Dewar

We all wish we did not have to face discrimination, whether it is because of race, gender, sexuality, age, religion, disability, etc. The world keeps fighting to eliminate something that should not exist in the first place.

It was a warm summer night in June of 1969. Stonewall Inn, in Greenwich Village of Lower Manhattan in New York City, had to step up and fight against a violent police force aiming to shut down this and every other gay bar in the city.

These riots led to the gay community organizing and forming activist groups defending LGBTQ rights. Their demand was something simple: the community just wanted to live freely and without the fear of being arrested or condemned because of their sexuality (gays and lesbians).

Stonewall Inn is considered a National Monument. History was made there, where before 1970, being part of the LGBTQ community was illegal.

The Stonewall riots were the origin of gay liberation, a movement that caused different points of view in a society once considered entirely homophobic. It was in June of 1970 when the first Gay Pride march took place in New York. It then spread to Boston, Dallas, Milwaukee, London, Paris, West Berlin, and eventually to San Francisco, Miami, and other parts of the European continent.

What made Stonewall different? That day in 1969, the riots that took place lasted a long time, almost a week, involving thousands, making an impact on several groups of society and the government.

From that day on, Gay Pride, where people march to support the LGBTQ community, is celebrated throughout the month of June, having its official celebration on the last Sunday of the month. It is a time to honor and celebrate that our differences make us unique, no matter what they are. We honor those incriminated and judged, incarcerated, and even killed because of their sexuality. We honor pride and the movement for equality.

In the year 2000, Stonewall Inn was self-proclaimed as a National Historic Landmark. Still, it wasn’t until 2015 when the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission officially announced it to be that.

President Obama, in the year 2016, established the park to be part of the National Park Service. The park, Christopher Park, totals over 7 acres and has been transferred to the federal government. Stonewall Inn is within the park, but it is not public. It is privately owned.

If you are ever in NYC, visit Stonewall Inn. Have a drink or two. Support the LGBTQ Community, and together we can end discrimination. We owe it to humankind. We can be better.