Stonewall Riots Anniversary

Pride has a different meaning to everyone but we cannot celebrate Pride when we do not all have the same freedoms and protections. It is important to acknowledge that Pride was born from a movement and that celebrations we enjoy today (virtually and in person) were a result of the queer, trans, and gender non-conforming people of color who came before us that started the modern day LGBTQ+ rights movement. Black queer, trans, and gender nonconforming people such as Storme Derlaverlie, Marsha P. Johnson, Miss Major Griffin-Gracey, and Zazu Nova who were present at and helped start and continue the Stonewall Riots which birthed our  modern-day movement for liberation.

Stonewall was a riot. A riot at Greenwhich Village - at the time viewed as one of the queerest neighborhoods in the U.S. People destroyed property within “their own community” because they realized that there was a difference between  their community and the businesses that profited off of them. Many of the rights we enjoy today were a result of these riots. They were not planned. They were the product of a community that had enough.

Pride is much more than wearing rainbows. Pride is about celebrating the victories made possible by those who come before us and working together to continue the fight for justice and equality. We can not stay silent. We have to stand up. We have to speak out about the injustices we are witnessing today.

Vote. Engage. Organize. Donate.