Tuesday 28-06-2022 - 15:04

Today marks 53 years since the beginning of the Stonewall Riots, when a series of spontaneous protests by members of the LGBTQ+ community took place in response to the continuous mistreatment from the police force. At the time, New York was one of the most progressive places in the United States, when it became the first state to reduce sodomy to a misdemeanour in 1950, with a maximum punishment of 6 months in prison. Still, anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes and policies continued, the community in New York City grew frustrated with the near constant police raids.

There were support systems in place for some of the community – in 1955, the Mattachine Society’s (the same ones whose sip-in we celebrated back in February !!!!!!!!!!!) New York branch was established for gay and bisexual men, and three years after that the New York branch of the Daughters of Bilitis was established for lesbians and bisexual women. But, the mistreatment was still so much that the community revolted, and we had one of the most famous developments for LGBTQ+ rights.

The protests, as many people know, were largely led by Marsha P. Johnson, and there has been debate on whether it was her, or her close friend Sylvia Rivera (or possibly even the lesser-known Zazu Nova?) threw the first brick at Stonewall. Later, Johnson and Rivera went on to found the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), which helped to give resources and assist in housing for low-income trans and gender-nonconforming people. Stormé DeLarverie is another well-known figure from the riots, whose fight with police was the catalyst for the Stonewall riots, spurring others to action.

This year, the anniversary is particularly poignant due to the overturn of Roe V. Wade. The loss of abortion rights is a massive set back for many in the US, and the whole world, really. Not only that, but many people believe that laws protecting the LGBTQ+ community will be the next to be attacked in the US.