Pride Month 2020: How Stonewall Riots paved way for gay activists to host first Pride marches in 1970
The Stonewall Riots were a pivotal moment in LGBTQ+ history that ultimately led to the first gay pride march held in the US. The change came in the form of a violent outburst to a police raid at NYC's most vital LGBTQ+ recreational spot, The Stonewall, in the early hours of June 28, 1969. The gang-operated gay club served liquor without a license, however, the police authorities had been paid off to ignore this indiscretion so the bar could continue functioning. On that day, though, the police had raided the club located at 51-53, Christopher Street, Manhattan, with a warrant in hand and started arresting patrons, especially those that didn't follow the gender-appropriated dress clothes.
The raid naturally gained attention from outsiders and seeing the club-goers in handcuffs drew a large crowd around the bar. A small scuffle broke out into a full-blown riot, as hundreds of people gathered to protest against police brutality towards LGBTQ+ individuals. While the riots that night eventually died down, over the next six days, demonstrations ensued outside the bar and in neighboring streets, as thousands of people showed up as allies and stood in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community.
Stonewall was a safe haven for the LGBTQ+ community in New York City, during a time where being gay was illegal and queer individuals had no rights to protect or safeguard them from discrimination. It was one of the only places that allowed them to be themselves, especially drag queens who struggled with bad reception at the gay bars. It was a nightly refuge to many runaways and homeless youths who identified as gay. So one can see why the crowd's violent response to the raid was justified.
The rankled community was already tired of being constantly targeted by the police for their sexuality, and the unexpected raid only managed to aggravate them to the point that their limits were reached, and they snapped. Essentially, the Stonewall Riots also indicated that there was more to be done in order for the underrepresented LGBTQ+ community to be heard and seen, more tangibly. If they continued to sit by and do nothing, no good would come out of it, and nothing would change. They needed a spark to kickstart the flames of a historical revolution, one that prompted a generation of activists to establish a civil rights movement.
Some five months after the riots, a group of activists comprising Craig Rodwell, Fred Sergeant, Ellen Brody, and Linda Rhodes approached the Eastern Regional Conference of Homophile Organizations (ERCHO), Philadelphia with a proposition of a resolution. They asked that a march be held in New York City on the one-year anniversary of the raid, and proposed for it to be an annual march organized on the last Saturday of June with "no dress or age regulations."
This new suggestion was a complete contrast to the current methods used by LGBTQ+ activists who would usually resort to walks and silent vigils with a strict dress code, men in jackets and ties and women in dresses. Their proposal was approved by the ERCHO and fellow activist Brenda Howard put the plans into motion. Howard was an openly bisexual woman who had been active in anti-war and feminist movements of the '60s. She was also renowned for her campaigning and organizing.
Together she met with the foursome and they prepared the details for the first-ever NYC Pride Parade, which at the time was known as the 'Christopher Street Liberation Day March'. Making use of Rodwell's bookstore mailing list, the group was able to spread the word about the parade. Furthermore, it was Howard's idea to turn the one-day event into a week-long celebration, which some cities still follow to this day. L Craig Schoonmaker, a member of the 'Christopher Street Liberation Day March' planning committee, is the person credited for the official slogan of the parade, 'Pride'.
While the idea of 'Gay Power' had been recommended, he presented that gay individuals lacked the power to bring about changed but the one thing they had was pride, and it was unshaken. 45 years later, in 2015, Schoonmaker told 'The Allusionist' in an interview that, “A lot of people were very repressed, they were conflicted internally, and didn’t know how to come out and be proud. That’s how the movement was most useful, because they thought, ‘Maybe I should be proud.’” That's how the official chant for the march came to be, "Say it loud, gay is proud".
Their plans were implemented on June 28, 1970, with the first gay pride march taking place on the streets of New York City. Patrons of the parade marched from west of Sixth Avenue at Waverly Place in Greenwich Village, all the way to Sheep's Meadow in Central Park, covering 51 blocks. They held a 'gay-in', a concept they had borrowed from the Civil Rights Movement, which aimed to be both a protest and a celebration. The day after, the New York Times' front-page headlines read in bold, “Thousands of Homosexuals Hold A Protest Rally in Central Park.”
Unlike the modern-day pride celebrations, the profound moment in LGBTQ+ history didn't have floats, dancers, or loud music blaring across the streets. The march was a political statement as well as a test to see the effects of LGBTQ+ citizens of the country emerging in the mainstream and becoming more visible. In what was the first-ever demonstration to be held of its kind, the 'Christopher Street Liberation Day March', garnered a crowd of an estimated 20,000 patrons.
In reality, a day before the NYC march, Chicago took to the streets to mark the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. It was a week-long celebration inclusive of a Gay Dance, speeches, and even workshops and was organized by the Gay Liberation movement. With the official chant being 'Gay Power', at the end of the week, nearly 150 people marched from Washington Square Park to the Water Tower at the intersection of Michigan and Chicago avenues, while some even continued to march to the Civic Centre.
A 75-word story was run by the Chicago Tribune in its third page, the very next day with the headline, “Gay Liberation Stage March to Civic Center.” On the same day as NYC, the LGBTQ+ community of Greater Los Angeles swarmed the streets of Hollywood Boulevard to organize a pride march. But it almost didn't happen, despite the organizers, the Christopher Street West Association being granted a permit to march on the streets, but only so long as they paid a fee of more than $1.5 million. It was only after the ACLU's intervention that the LA Pride was successfully given the green light, without excessive discriminatory costs.
On June 28, 1970, activists in San Fransico marched through Polk Street and held a 'gay-in' at Golden Gate Park. It was only two years later that the city held its first Pride parade or the 'Christopher Street West Parade.' Many San Fransisco publications wrote in support of the trailblazing LGBTQ+ rights movement, and the first-ever LGBTQ+ Pride march of San Francisco emerged very successfully. At the same time, Boston held its Pride march in the Back Bay neighborhood as well.