Stonewall Riots centre stage 50 years after kicking off gay rights movement

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – In the 1960’s, police regularly raided illegal gay bars.

Homosexuality was illegal in 49 states and was widely considered to be a mental illness — because of this, the gay rights movement at the time was quietly underground.

But when police cleared out New York’s Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969, bar patrons didn’t go home, they stayed in the streets to push back.

No one knows what exactly started the riots. Some say the mafia, who owned the bar, hadn’t paid off police as they had been for years. Back then, the NYPD made regular raids at Stonewall, so no one was expecting any level of resistance.

That changed, however, with Stonewall, where for more than 48 hours the West Village saw clashes with police.

Accounts of that evening suggest gay men, trans people and lesbian women were being loaded into the back of paddy wagons as other patrons, who weren’t targeted for their sexuality were shuffled into the street.

Hundreds began to crowd around as the drag queens and others put on a show of being arrested, waving to the crowd and posing for them.

It’s not known who threw the first punch, brick or bottle that lead to the violent outbreak but the initial protest that night lead to a second night of rioting the following evening.

From there, days of rioting took place, but barely made the local news.

The riots electrified the gay community across the United States, and a year later, the first Pride March would set off from Stonewall and gather a crowd of thousands as it moved toward Sixth avenue.

This year, on the rebellion’s 50th anniversary, more than four million people are expected at New York’s annual Pride celebration.

Lady Gaga mentioned the riots during a passionate speech on gay rights history at a concert in New York on Monday. She also highlighted the importance of respecting people’s gender identity by using their preferred pronouns.

Today, Stonewall is still a bar, but a highly visible one. It’s a landmark, and the patrons flocking in this week to honour the Stonewall riots’ legacy include a gay police officers’ group.

Last month, the NYPD offered a rare official apology to the queer community.

“The actions taken by the N.Y.P.D. were wrong — plain and simple,” said commissioner James P. O’Neill.

-With files from the Associated Press