The concept of Pride Month began with the Stonewall riots, a series of riots and protests for gay liberation that took place over several days beginning on June 28, 1969. The riots began after a police raid at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar located within Lower Manhattan. Activists Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Stormé DeLarverie are credited for inciting the riots, though Johnson disputes her involvement.
The year after the riots, the first pride marches were held in several US cities. The march in New York City, aimed to celebrate "Christopher Street Liberation Day", alongside parallel marches across the US, is considered to be a watershed moment for LGBTQIA+ rights. Fred Sargeant, an organizer of some of the first marches, said that the goal was to commemorate the Stonewall riots and further push for liberation. He noted that while the first marches were more akin to a protest than a celebration, it helped to remind people of LGBTQIA+ communities and how they may include one's family and friends.
( ~ Wikipedia / Photo: In the early 1970's, the Northwestern University Gay Liberation group attended the anti-Vietnam War demonstration in Washington DC.)
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