In the late '60s, the Stonewall Inn, located in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, was a beacon for the city's marginalized — attracting drag queens and male prostitutes to its dimly lit quarters— at a time when few establishments would open their doors to gays. In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, police raided the bar, inciting a protest and violent riot that would become known as a watershed moment in the gay rights movement.
In 1970, New York's burgeoning gay community held what would become known as the first Gay Pride parade. It was called the Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day march at the time, and it was staged on the first anniversary of the Stonewall riots.
After New York's Gay Liberation march, parades slowly spread to other cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. By the 1980s, buoyed by a growing gay-rights movement, the annual gatherings acquired a more welcoming name — "Gay Pride" — and an influx of less radicalized activists, which helped push them into the mainstream.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Gay Pride parades have since evolved into street-closing parties held across the country, in sprawling urban areas and small towns alike. Last year, in New York City, some 1.7 million people hit the streets, and officials expect attendance to jump by 15 percent this year.
Meanwhile, the Stonewall Inn has become a landmark for the city's gay rights history and culture. After Wednesday's historic Supreme Court ruling, Edie Windsor, the effervescent plaintiff of the DOMA case, chose Stonewall as her celebratory setting. Speaking to a jubilant crowd, the 84-year-old said: "To all the gay people and their supporters who have cheered me on, thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Lauren Hansen produces The Week’s podcasts and videos and edits the photo blog, Captured. She also manages the production of the magazine's iPad app. A graduate of Kenyon College and Northwestern University, she previously worked at the BBC and Frontline. She knows a thing or two about pretty pictures and cute puppies, both of which she tweets about @mylaurenhansen.
