The Enduring Legacy of the 1969 Stonewall Riots
By Stuart Kaplan, Board Member
The LGBT community has made tremendous strides toward greater societal inclusion and equality in the last dozen or so years. Most recently, the freedom to marry has spread in the states with almost dizzying speed as state constitutional bans against marriage equality get struck down in the courts. Against this backdrop of significant progress it is helpful to remind ourselves of historical events that now stand out as key milestones. One of those seminal events is the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City.
The site of the riots was the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, which was a popular gathering place for sexual minorities. Even though Greenwich Village was considered to be an area that was especially tolerant and open to sexual minorities, New York City police often raided bars that were thought to be friendly to a gay clientele. Police raids were a frequent occurrence at the Stonewall Inn causing the patrons to become increasingly frustrated and angry about their treatment. The raid on June 28, 1969 was seen as the last straw and it touched off numerous spontaneous and sometimes violent demonstrations on the street outside the bar against repressive police tactics. With the 45th anniversary of Stonewall occurring this June what is notable about its place in the history of the LGBT rights movement?
Ten years ago in March, Lisa and I were first in line when Multnomah County issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples. We married immediately in our church, with our ministers, blessed with the presence of friends.
