1969 Stonewall Riots
How the Stonewall Riots Sparked a Movement The Stonewall Inn Riots sparked the beginning of the gay rights movement in America. Learn how. While the early 20th century saw the emergence of organizations advocating for gay rights, such as the Society for Human Rights in , societal acceptance remained tragically limited. In , the Daughters of Bilitis was founded as the first lesbian rights organization, aiming to create a community and combat stereotypes.
1969
Decades later, the events at the Stonewall Inn are seen as a revolutionary turning point that electrified the gay rights movement—a movement that has secured widespread recognition of LGBTQ civil rights in the U.S. and that continues to fight for equality around the world. In , police raids of gay bars in Manhattan followed a template. Officers would pour in, threatening and beating bar staff and clientele. Milestones in the American Gay Rights Movement
The last years of the s, however, were very contentious, as many social movements were active, including the civil rights movement, the counterculture of the s, and antiwar demonstrations. These influences, along with the liberal environment of Greenwich Village, served as catalysts for the Stonewall riots. 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 served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world. The Stonewall Riots
The gay rights movement is a civil rights movement that advocates equal rights for LGBTQ persons—that is, for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender persons, and queer persons—and calls for an end to discrimination against LGBTQ persons in employment, credit, housing, public accommodations, and other areas of life. These riots, sparked by a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, marked a turning point in the struggle for equality and acceptance, setting the stage for decades of activism and progress. Throughout the 20th century, homosexuality was considered a mental illness, and engaging in same-sex relationships was criminalized in most states. 
How the Stonewall rebellion ignited the LGBTQ+ movement
This set uses primary sources to explore the events preceding and surrounding the Stonewall Inn uprising as well as the aftermath of the riots in the gay liberation movement of the s and s. Patrons of the Stonewall Inn were resigned to police raids on gay bars. But on June 28, , they resisted in a rebellion that changed history.
Stonewall riots
Background of LGBTQ+ Rights Before Stonewall The struggle for LGBTQ+ rights in the United States dates back several decades before the Stonewall Riots. While the early 20th century saw the emergence of organizations advocating for gay rights, such as the Society for Human Rights in , societal acceptance remained tragically limited. LGBTQ+ individuals frequently faced legal discrimination. . 
The Fight for Equality
A June police raid of the New York bar erupted into a days-long rebellion that lit a fire under the fight for LGBTQ rights. .
The Stonewall Riots
The Society for Human Rights is founded by Henry Gerber in Chicago. The society is the first gay rights organization as well as the oldest documented in America. After receiving a charter from the. .