From a confrontation between police and protesters in the United States, on June 28, 1969, the date on which International LGBTQIA+ Pride Day is celebrated.
The protest took place in defense of the gay club Stonewall Inn, opened in 1967, in the heart of the bohemian neighborhood of Greenwich Village, in New York.
At that time, despite the circulation of progressive ideas in the region, laws against homosexuals were strict, putting at risk those who dared to show non-heterosexual affection in public.
To escape state regulations that prohibited homosexuals from consuming alcohol, mobster “Fat Tony” Lauria founded the Stonewall Inn as a private club.
While police raids were relatively common at the establishment, a surprise raid in 1969 took unexpected turns, resulting in what became known as the “Stonewall Rebellion” — a six-day uprising in defense of the rights of the LGBTQIA+ population.
The first invasion took place on Tuesday, June 24th. Days later, on Friday, the 27th, the police returned to the club with the intention of “destroying the bar and slapping the owners with enough infractions to close it for good”, according to Emanuella Grinberg, from the CNN.
In the midst of the confusion, when it was past midnight – therefore, Saturday, June 28 – protesters began throwing objects at security agents who were trying to arrest a homosexual woman.
On Saturday night, around 2,000 people gathered in front of the bar, holding hands and shouting phrases like “gay power”, “we want freedom now” and “Christopher Street belongs to the queens”. Christopher Street was blocked by protesters.
Once again, on Wednesday, protesters headed to the site to continue the march, maintaining the mood of revolt for a few weeks.
In all, 21 people were arrested during the events and one died – a taxi driver who suffered a heart attack after having his vehicle invaded.
The following year, on the same date, thousands of people returned to Greenwich Village for the first Christopher Street Liberation Day march. It was the beginning of the annual event that evolved into what we know as the “Gay Parade”.
*With information from CNN’s Emanuella Grinberg, who spoke with David Carter, who has spent 10 years researching and interviewing witnesses to” Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution “; Eric Marcus, creator of the podcast” Making Gay History “, which includes interviews with the late Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, pioneering transgender activists, and Robert Bryan, who joined the crowd outside the Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969
Source: CNN Brasil
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