The Stonewall Riots

Monday, June 28, 2010
Today is the 41st anniversary of what has come to be called "the Stonewall riots."

The Stonewall Inn was a gay nightclub in New York City's Greenwich Village, and on June 28, 1969, the police raided the bar along with the Public Morals Squad. Such events typically occurred every month or so, and the authorities, who were being paid off by the proprietors of the Stonewall, had no anticipation that June 28th would be different from any other raid.

However, it was different. Instead of quietly acquiescing to the police demands to produce identification or to verify physical gender, patrons of the Stonewall refused to cooperate. Tension continued to mount as the police decided to arrest many of the patrons, and violence broke out when a lesbian was hit in the head with a billy club. The riot quickly spread, and subsequent nights brought out additional people.

This spontaneous event marked the beginning of the gay rights movement in this country. These men and women, who only wanted a place where they could be themselves, had simply had enough. Tired of being persecuted for being different, for the first time they stood up and fought for the rights they should have had all along.

I consider myself a friend to the LGBT community. I'm vocal about my opinion that every human, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation, should have the same rights as their more mainstream brothers and sisters. The institutionalized bigotry exercised by local, state and federal institutions is simply unacceptable, and I make sure my political representatives know that's what I think. I would never consider voting for (or being friends with) someone who believed homosexuality was "unnatural" or believed members of the LGBT community should be considered "lesser" because of who they are. Fuck that. The LGBT community are my friends, my coworkers, my family. I would fight for their rights at least as vociferously as I would fight for my own.  

So I'll commemorate the Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village, and pledge to stand up with my brothers and sisters should the occasion arise again.