STONEWALL RIOTS

STONEWALL RIOTS

In the early hours of June 28, 1969, New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a queer bar located in the West Village in New York City.  The raid sparked a riot among bar patrons and neighbourhood residents as police roughly hauled employees and patrons out of the bar, leading to six days of protests and violent clashes with law enforcement outside the bar, in neighbouring streets and in nearby Christopher Park. The Stonewall Riots (or Stonewall Uprising) served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world. Led by Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, who were trans women of colour, the riot sparked an entire civil movement, and the reason why Pride is celebrated in late June/early July.