From Stonewall to Celebration: History Behind Pride Month

Every June, we come together to celebrate Pride Month—a time to acknowledge the LGBTQ+ community and honor the progress made toward achieving equality. But behind the rainbow flags and celebrations is a powerful story of resistance, resilience, and the fight for visibility.

The Spark That Started It All: The Stonewall Riots

One year after the infamous Stonewall Riots, the first Gay Pride march celebration began. In 1970, a crowd of approximately 5,000 people gathered in New York City. In 2009, that number rose significantly to around 4 million people, making it the largest in the city's history.

Let's step back and examine the Stonewall Riots. It was June 28th, 1969, when the NYC police decided to raid a gay club called the Stonewall Inn.

Stonewall 50

The police used aggressive force as they pulled the patrons and staff out of the bar, which led to six violent days of protest. The bar was raided just a few days ago. In the past, the police would tip off the mafia owners so they could hide their illegal bottles of liquor and any other illicit items. On June 28th, they were not tipped off.

In 1969, the law required people to wear gender-appropriate clothing. Consequently, female officers would pull some patrons into the restroom to check their gender and arrest those not dressed in accordance with the law. Things quickly escalated after a policeman hit a woman on the head. She yelled to others to do something, which incited others to start hurling items at the police officers. This led to hundreds of people in a full-blown riot, which ended with several of them locked in the bar. Shortly after the police locked them and others in the bar, the mafia quickly acted and set fire to the bar; luckily, the fire department was about to put out the flames and rescue those in the bar.

Pride Parade

The Birth of Pride

Despite the fire, the riots continued for five more days, with some moments involving over 1,000 people. Now, fast-forward one year: their first Pride parade took place in New York City, then known as Christopher Street Liberation Day. In 2016, President Obama officially made the site of the Stonewall riots a national monument.

Celebrating Pride Month at Flagship

While Pride Month was first officially recognized in 1999 by President Bill Clinton as “Gay and Lesbian Pride Month,” it has evolved to include and celebrate the full spectrum of the LGBTQ+ community. At Flagship, we are proud to continue celebrating Pride Month. One way we celebrate Pride Month is by setting up Pride tables at select locations. Each table includes a list of must-watch movies, LGBTQ+-owned businesses in the area, pride books, flyers, and bracelets. It’s a small way we aim to create space, share stories, and celebrate the vibrant, diverse individuals who Pride is more than a month.