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PRIDE Month Article by Meaningful Movies Intern Abby Lin

by Melinda Raebyne June 26, 2023 3

Color. Confidence. Celebration. All three are staples at modern-day Pride festivities. People flock to the streets in vibrant attire to enjoy parades and performances. Pride is a commemoration of LGBT+ identities and the progress that generations have fought for, while also celebrating the resilience of the community that continues to further equality worldwide.

The origins of Pride, however, are less colorful. In the early hours of June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Uprising began after the police raided Stonewall Inn, a gay club in Greenwich Village in New York City. This attack reflected the homophobic policies that were common at the time. The New York State Liquor Authority penalized establishments like Stonewall Inn that had become havens for LGBT+ individuals. They did this under the argument that these gatherings of known or suspected members of the LGBT+ community were “disorderly.”

On the morning of June 28th police officers, armed with a warrant, entered the club. They roughed up patrons and arrested 13 people, including employees and individuals who violated the state’s gender-appropriate clothing statute. 

The patrons and locals who hung outside the bar grew increasingly angry at the events that took place. In a short period, the crowd grew to hundreds of people and, differing from other police raids at gay clubs and bars, many began to fight back.

Eventually, the fire department and riot squad were able to douse the flames, rescue the individuals – police, a few prisoners, and a Village Voice writer – who had barricaded themself in Stonewall Inn, and dispersed the crowd. Still, the protests continued in the area for five more days, sometimes involving thousands of people. 

The next year, thousands marched through Manhattan from Stonewall Inn to Central Park on the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising on America’s first pride parade. It created a tradition that has since expanded across the country and the month of June.

Although Stonewall was not the beginning of the gay rights movement, the scene and its aftermath have a lasting impact on the LGBT+ community and the nation as a whole. June is now a chance to celebrate their efforts at Stonewall and the continued relentlessness that promotes progress in the country, as well as the identities within the LGBT+ community.

This article was written by a member of the Meaningful Movies Intern, Abby Lin.

Photo By: Melinda Raebyne