A History of Pride Month

Each June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month. Pride Month began as a commemorative celebration of the Stonewall Uprising of 1969, which started a national and global movement of LGBTQ+ communities organizing against oppression. The Uprising was named for the Stonewall Inn, located in Greenwich Village, New York City. Originally a restaurant, the building that would become the Stonewall Inn was sold after a fire destroyed the interior. Most gay bars and clubs at the time were operated with at least some Mafia involvement due to the restrictive liquor laws and the fact homosexuality was widely criminalized at the time.

In 1934, after the end of the Prohibition era, the New York State Liquor Authority prohibited the serving of alcohol in “disorderly” businesses. Gay bars and clubs, which were some of the only places for LGBTQ+ people to gather, were considered “disorderly” by default and, thus, were subject to frequent police raids. The management of such businesses often bribed the police, Mafia, or State Liquor Authority for protection so that they could be warned of police raids in advance. They would often turn up the lights to warn patrons of police raids so that they could stop any open displays of affection, which could subject them to arrest when police arrived.

The Stonewall Uprising began on June 28, 1969, when bar patrons decided to stand up to the routine police raids jeopardizing their community. Among those spurred into action were a diverse community of homeless LGBTQ+ teens, trans women of color, drag queens, lesbians, gay men, and other residents of Greenwich Village. Many of the people present would identify today as queer, transgender, or non-binary. Protests continued over the next six days, with crowds growing from hundreds to over a thousand people on the sixth day. The crowd drove police attempting to arrest protesters back into the Stonewall Inn. Over the course of the protests, there were no fatalities and a total of 21 arrests. There is no video footage of the protests, but a number of photographs were taken, including the only known photo taken on the first night by freelance photographer Joseph Ambrosini, which shows LGBTQ+ youths confronting police.

The movement for LGBTQ+ rights didn’t start with the Stonewall Uprising, but it served as a potent catalyst for national and global organization and activism. One year after the uprising, the first annual Pride March took place in New York City, with similar marches occurring in other cities in the United States. The number of marches held internationally continued to expand in the years following the first Pride March, solidifying the significance of the Stonewall Uprising in LGBTQ+ history. The Stonewall Inn still operates today in its original location and looks much like it did in 1969.

Today, Pride marches and events are held across the nation and the globe. Pride Month is a time of increased visibility of LGBTQ+ individuals, a celebration of diversity in identity, and an opportunity to find community. Pride celebrations create an environment in which many feel safe and uplifted in being their authentic selves when they, otherwise, don’t feel safe to do so in their daily lives. Pride month is also a time to memorialize LGBTQ+ individuals who have been lost to mental health crises, anti-LGBTQ+ violence, and the AIDS crisis. It serves as both a celebration and a protest against social and political oppression.