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Updated on June 7, 2023
In her 1937 novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neal Hurston famously wrote, “Some years ask questions, and some years answer.” This year seems to be asking more questions than ever, and communities are seeking answers. In 1969, people in the gay community were looking for answers, too. The Stonewall Uprising took place that year on June 28 in a seedy but beloved bar called The Stonewall Inn. Often described as a riot, this pivotal event sparked a revolution.
Just one year later, The Christopher Street Gay Liberation March, which is now recognized as the first Pride parade, took place in Greenwich Village. The march united the community (although the early gay liberation efforts were far from inclusive) and ignited the modern gay rights movement. Activist Martin Boyce put it this way: "What began as a question mark downtown ended in an exclamation point." Sunday is the 50-year anniversary of that first Pride event, and the LGBTQ+ community is continuing to work for progress in achieving equal rights.
To capture the enthusiasm and renegade spirit of the original Christopher Street Gay Liberation March, and to oppose the so-called rainbow capitalism and corporate pinkwashing that has come to dominate modern Pride parades, a more rebellious, politically minded activist group called the Reclaim Pride Coalition is hosts a Queer Liberation March on a Sunday in New York. The march, which is distinguishing itself as a protest with an agenda and a Statement of Purpose, will be streamed online. Many other virtual Pride events are taking place all over the Web. Don’t miss your chance to observe the occasion.
This is certainly a year that asks questions, but people are demanding answers, too. All people who live at the margins are fighting to be acknowledged. They want accountability and action, the same outcomes that gay rights pioneers like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera fought for at that first Pride march on June 28, 1970. In recognition of their efforts, and in celebration of the legal advances that LGBTQ+ individuals have achieved in the fight for equal rights, we are providing a curated list of further reading on the topics of gay liberation, the Stonewall Uprising, and the modern LGBTQ+ movement in the courts and in the culture.
Then and Now
An Amazing 1969 Account of the Stonewall Uprising – The Atlantic
What Does Pride Mean Now? – New York Times
Stonewall Then and Now – The Harvard Gazette
Stonewall National Monument – National Parks Service
Timelines
The Court Cases That Changed L.G.B.T.Q. Rights – New York Times
Milestones in the American Gay Rights Movement – American Experience PBS
LGBTQ Rights Milestones Fast Facts – CNN
Intersections
Global Pride To Focus On Black Lives Matter At First Worldwide LGBT Event -- Forbes
LGBTQ communities are elevating black voices during Pride Month in solidarity – CNN
Video
Stonewall Forever: A Documentary about the Past, Present and Future of Pride
Who Threw the First Brick? Let’s Argue About It – New York Times
Stonewall Uprising – American Experience PBS
Gay and Proud – Library of Congress
