Happy Gay Xmas Eve!
Lest we forget, the reason why Gay Pride is celebrated in the US and the UK (and in many other countries) on this weekend every year is due to the events that took place 44 years ago today. The Stonewall riots are widely described as a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighbourhood of New York City.
They are frequently cited as the first instance in American history when gays and lesbians fought back against a government-sponsored system that persecuted homosexuals, and they have become the defining event that marked the start of the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.
- Read my article about the Stonewall riots on the 40th anniversary in 2009
- Read about the Stonewall: 40 event we attended that July
I raise a glass to our brave brothers and sisters (many of whom feature in the photos above, no doubt), who began the long, hard struggle that culminated in the legal situation in which many of us in the West exist today - where anti-gay legislation is now seen as an anachronism.
I also recognise that for us, tomorrow's Gay Pride is a celebration, a sparkling outpouring of our visibility and defiance - and a perfect excuse for a party!
Here is the gayest of gay bands to help us along - the appropriately-named Village People, with an appropriate song: New York City!
Thank Disco It's Friday - happy Pride!
Gay Pride in London 2013
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