Thousands gather at Stonewall 50 years after LGBTQ uprising
of people converged Friday on the Stonewall Inn for the 50th anniversary of the rebellion that catalyzed
liberation, marking the milestone with celebrity performances, speeches and personal reflections.
People from New York and afar came to take photos and share in the legacy of the gay bar where patrons resisted a police raid, sparking protests and longer-term organizing that made the cause considerably more visible.
"Fifty years ago, people stood up for their rights, and look where we're at now. We've got flags all over the city," said Richard Walker, 58, an airline worker from New York. "I'm getting goosebumps just really thinking about it."
With the modern incarnation of the Stonewall Inn as the focal point, the day's celebrations included music, speeches and an eveBeaird, 53, who had been married and fathered children. "Just to be here with all these people is pretty amazing."
Jocelyn Burrell isn't gay, but she made her way to the Stonewall Inn because she was struck by how welcoming it was when she stopped in there years ago, and she feels a sense of common cause with its place in history.
for civil rights, I feel I should support other people who fight for civil rights," she said.
Friday's events were kicking off a big weekend of Pride festivities in New York and elsewhere. In New York, Sunday's huge Worldpride parade
march intended as a less corporate commemora
will swing past the bar.
Cities around the world began celebrating Pride on Friday. Participants in a march in the Philippines went by the presidential palace in Manila, waving placards as they marked the 25th year since the first such gathering.
The Stonewall Inn is now a landmark and part of the Stonewall National Monument, but in 1969, it was part of a gay scene that was known, yet not open. At the time, AP PHOTO BY showing same-sex affection or dressing in a way deemed gender-inappropriate could get people arrested, and bars had lost liquor licenses for
The police raid on the bar began early the morning of June 28, 1969. The nightspot was unlicensed, and the officers had been assigned to stop any illegal alcohol sales.
Patrons and people who converged on the bar on Christopher Street resisted , hurling objects and at points scuffling with the officers.
Protests followed over several more days. A
Yorkers marked the anniversary of the riot with the Christopher Street
Thousands proudly paraded through a city
expected to stay in the shadows.
The Stonewall Inn itself closed not long after the raid. The current Stonewall Inn dates to the early 1990s.
"We understand we're the innkeepers of history," said current co
really feel like the fire that started at Stonewall in 1969 is not done. The battleground has just shifted."