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Stonewall Riots
The gay club, Stonewall Inn, was raided by New York police on June 28, 1969, somewhat violently dragging out several people using it for their Pride. Following this raid, bar patrons and people in the general area and neighborhood Rioted with the police for six days. This was a significant milestone in Pride history and was a catalyst for the forming of many movements and activists. However, the bar was raided for its illegal bootlegging, and the police arrested other 'criminals' while there. -
Christopher Street Liberation Day
Following the Stonewall Riots, Pride activists needed a way to heavily advance their movement, as to not let events like that be allowed to happen. Several activists and Pride organizations planned a march with no dress code, a big deal when crossdressing was a primary target of the law and drag queen exclusion in the Pride community itself was high. It ended up being a 51-block long march that was both a protest and a celebration of rights. This was significant for awareness and right to rally. -
Pride Flag Creation and Signifcance
Gilbert Baker, a Prideful artist, was commissioned for a Pride flag by gay icon Harvey Milk. He was motivated to make the flag by the acknowledgement of the power of the stripes of the US flag, and the dislike of the current (Nazi) Pink Triangle. His flag design's colors represented, life, healing, sunlight, harmony, nature, art, harmony, and spirit. After being used at the San Francisco’s Gay Freedom Day Parade, it has become the primary icon of Pride, that still reigns today. -
AIDS discovered and importance
AIDS was a virus that attacked the nervous system, and it proved extremely lethal. AIDS was significant to Pride because it was deemed a homosexual virus, as it disproportionally affected homosexuals because the ways of transmission. AIDS was the cause of death for many significant homosexual individuals like Freddie Mercury, but also could affect non-homosexuals. Overall, AIDS was significant because it banded the Pride community together in their perseverance through these struggles. -
First legal same-sex marriage
Same-sex couple Marcia Kadish and Tanya McCloskey marry at Cambridge City Hall in Massachusetts. Following this, 77 other same-sex marriages happened in Massachusetts on the same day. This was following the Supreme Court's ruling that Massachusetts' ban against same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. 11 years later all States would have legal same-sex marriage, and this date is now a milestone for starting the ridding of one of the last anti-gay rights occurrences in the US.