Though the Stonewall uprising didn’t start the gay rights movement, it was a galvanizing force for LGBT political activism, leading to numerous gay rights organizations, including the Gay Liberation Front, Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD (formerly Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), and PFLAG (formerly Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). READ MORE: 7 Surprising Facts About the Stonewall Riots and the Fight for LGBT Rights Stonewall's Legacy For instance, solicitation of same-sex relations was illegal in New York City.
The 1960s and preceding decades were not welcoming times for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans. The Stonewall Riots served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.Įxplore the history of the LGBTQ movement in America here. The raid sparked a riot among bar patrons and neighborhood residents as police roughly hauled employees and patrons out of the bar, leading to six days of protests and violent clashes with law enforcement outside the bar on Christopher Street, in neighboring streets and in nearby Christopher Park. The Stonewall Riots, also called the Stonewall Uprising, began in the early hours of Jwhen New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in Greenwich Village in New York City.
