New Yorkers celebrated Gay Pride this last week, as did many people in cities throughout the world.  This was the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots that occurred in Greenwich Village in 1969.  On the morning of June 28, police raided the Stonewall Inn and what occurred was a series of demonstrations and riots.  This instance is the first in the history of the United States where those in the gay community fought and protested a system sponsored by the country’s government.  Those in the community had been persecuted for years, however on that morning they stood together and thus began the movement for gay rights, not only in New York, but in the entire country and throughout the world.

During the 50’s and into the 60′, legal systems in the U.S were extremely anti-gay, and some groups had the mission of proving that gays could become heterosexual through proper education.  By the end of the 60’s however many other groups were standing up for their rights.  This was the time of demonstrations against the Vietnam war, and the time of Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement.  The influence and the power of these political movements, along with the fire of the recent riots in Greenwich Village, inspired those in the homosexual community to stand up for themselves as well.

During this time in history, many businesses did not welcome the business of gays. The few that did were often the bars or some of the smaller best restaurants.  New York City Mafia owned the Stonewall Inn, which was home to many young runaways, hustlers, and drag queens.  While the police regularly raided the bars in the Village and were well aware of the actions, they were not ready for what was in store for them at the Inn.  The situation quickly became elevated and out of control.  This incident began the movement, for within just a couple of weeks following the riots, gay newspapers were conceived and published, and groups were organized that would eventually make history.  In the way that tragedy does tend to motivate, the people were brought together as a unit standing up for not only themselves, but for others in the gay community as well.  The first Pride march occurred in 1970 in just two U.S. cities, Manhattan and Los Angeles.  Now, Gay Pride is a world wide event, a series of celebrations that end with the finale on June 28, commemorating the date, how far society has come, and how much further we still need to go.