What's the deal with Stonewall?

This post originally appeared on our Facebook page on July 6, 2021.

During Pride month, you likely see a lot of references to “Stonewall” or the “Stonewall Riots”, but what does it mean?

The Stonewall Inn is a gay bar in New York City. In the 1960's, acts of homosexuality were still illegal, so all bars where gay people congregated were subjected to regular harassment from police. After a long series of conflicts between police and LGBTQ2IA+ advocates, the Stonewall was finally raided by police in the early morning hours on June 28, 1969. Unlike other times, the gay rights activists did not retreat or scatter. They were angry and vocal and some 400 people fell to disorder. 

The police called for reinforcements and barricaded themselves inside the bar. The police barricade was breached and the bar was set on fire. Police reinforcements arrived in time to extinguish it and eventually clear out the crowd, but the rebellion wasn't over and there were still many conflicts for the next 5 days. 

Although conflicts between police and gay and trans people had happened in the past, this was the first time that all members of the gay community (gay men, lesbians, and transgender people) saw a benefit in uniting as a common force. This is why Pride month is June, to commemorate the Stonewall Uprising.

Though the riots at Stonewall happened over 50 years ago, its really still a mystery who actually started it all. What we can confirm is that Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera were a huge part of it and remain leaders of the Pride movement.

Marsha "Pay-No-Mind" Johnson

Marsha “Pay-No-Mind” Johnson is often referred to as a Black transgender woman, but was a self-identified gay drag queen and sex worker. A very outspoken advocate for gay and trans rights, Marsha was a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front and co-founded S.T.A.R (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) with dear friend Sylvia Rivera. S.T.A.R provided housing and social services to homeless transgender youth and transgender people of color. At the young age of 46, Marsha died by suicide, though it is widely believed it was actually a murder.

Sylvia Rivera was a close friend to Marsha and another very outspoken advocate for gay and trans rights. Though they are often referred to as being a transgender Latina woman or a drag queen, they were gender fluid their entire life and said they were just Sylvia, neither male nor female. Sylvia was tired of the labels.

If all of this interests you, there is a great documentary on Netflix called “The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson”.