Let’s set the record straight…Just kidding, we can’t even think straight.
Let’s be clear
Before corporate Pride floats, before rainbow vodka, before Target had “Love is Love” T-shirts in June and amnesia by July—there was Stonewall. Not the sanitized, Disney-adjacent version you might’ve seen in a History Channel rerun. We’re talking about a rebellion, an uprising, a late-night spark that ignited an unstoppable flame.
THE BACKDROP: COCKTAILS, AND COURAGE
THE FOREGROUND: OPPRESSION
The 60’s were not hospitable times for LGBTQ+ Americans. Being gay was criminalized. Being trans? Punishable by good ol’ boy justice. Raids on queer bars were a regular part of life. If you were caught in the “wrong” clothes or holding hands you were arrested. Existing with glitter in your soul and eyeliner in your purse was (and still is) dangerous business.
Members of the community were forced to convene in establishments that provided refuge. A place they could openly be themselves and socialize without fear. In 1969 New York, the state Liquor Authority would penalize and shut down joints that were serving alcohol to known or suspected LBGT individuals. As they put it; the gathering of the gays was “disorderly”.
The Stonewall Inn, a gritty, mafia-run dive bar in NYC’s Greenwich Village, was one of the only places queer folks – especially drag queens, trans folks, homeless queer youth, and people of color – could exist with some version of joy.
The crime syndicate that owned the bar registered it as a private “bottle bar” to get around having to obtain a liquor license. They bribed NYC police to prevent interference and ensure a heads up if the department was planning to raid the place. The toilets often didn’t work. The drinks were watered down. But it was a place of safety for the community.
June 28th, 1969
In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, the police raided the Stonewall – no heads up this time. Police stormed the club, warrant in hand, and arrested 13 people. The patrons and nearby residents had had enough.
They said NO.
People crowded outside the club and the group gathered strength. They began fighting back, throwing things at the officers, resisting. Within minutes, the uprising had begun. The police tried to barricade themselves in the club. For 6 days thousands of members of the community made themselves known. They ensured that their oppressors heard them. From this frustration, anger, hurt, fear, and powerlessness came a galvanizing force that pushed the gay rights movement forward – hard.
Gay rights organizations like the Gay Liberation Front, Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, and PFLAG were all born from the uprising at Stonewall. America’s first gay pride parade occurred one year to the day on the streets of Manhattan. The official chant was “Say it loud, gay is proud.”
This is why I decided to name this practice 53 Christopher! The address of the Stonewall Inn. This was such a pivotal moment in our community…much like what we are experiencing now. It stands for strength, community, liberation, safety, and the power of this community when we stand together.
WHO WAS THERE? (WHO DESERVES CREDIT, NOT ERASURE)
I want to be clear about this: Black and brown trans women and drag queens were at the heart of this uprising.
- Marsha P. (Pay It No Mind) Johnson – Black trans woman, activist, and divine spirit who threw punches and parties for the revolution. Co-founded STAR – Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries.
- Sylvia Rivera – Latina trans activist who demanded space for the most marginalized, even when white gay men tried to push her out of the movement she helped birth.
- Stormé DeLarverie – Butch lesbian and drag king icon, rumored to be the first to fight back that night.
- Raymond Castro – Gay Puerto Rican man who was arrested the first night of the resistance. His actions were one of the sparks that ignited the uprising.
- Craig Rodwell – Owner of the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop. Early gay rights activist who helped spread the word about the uprising and organize future demonstrations.
- Miss Major Griffin–Gracy – Black trans woman who was jailed during the uprising. Deeply involved in the community and became a lifelong activist for trans women of color and prison abolition.
These weren’t people trying to go viral. They weren’t influencers with ring lights. They were just fucking DONE with being abused, erased, and dehumanized.
And they fought like hell so we could one day kiss in public without handcuffs.
PRIDE VS. POLISHED PRIDE™
Stonewall wasn’t sponsored by skincare brands or gin companies. It wasn’t about branding. It was about survival. About visibility. About screaming into a world that wanted us silent.
Today, Pride has glitter and drag brunch and rainbow-flavored capitalism—and listen, we love a good time—but we also can’t forget that it started with a brick and a battle cry.
Pride is protest. It is joy and rage. It is marching and mourning. It is dancing in defiance. And it’s not just for the gays who get cast on reality TV—it’s for every messy, gorgeous, complicated queer human trying to live in their truth.
WHY STONEWALL STILL MATTERS
Because laws can be repealed.
Because rights can be threatened.
Because trans kids are still fighting for their lives.
Because queer people of color still carry the heaviest burden.
Because we’re still not safe everywhere.
Stonewall reminds us: when we fight together, we win together.
Every time you take up space, every time you love out loud, every time you protect another queer soul – you carry the spirit of Stonewall.
WE ARE THE LEGACY
You, me, all of us – we’re the children of rebellion. The descendants of queens with broken heels and unbreakable spirits. Our joy is resistance. Our presence is power.
So the next time someone tells you to tone it down, fit in, play small – harness some Marsha P. Johnson energy and let ‘em know:
“No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.” Be great, darling. Be loud. Be legendary. And never forget—we owe it all to a night in June, when queer folks decided we’ve had enough.
