out because who else is going to let “THEM” into their establishment? but when the gay people were brought out for public ridicule slowly, in chains and in tears the crowd went from gleeful to electrified. those were brothers and sisters...those were people just being people and not only going to jail for it, but being degraded and humiliated. the masses were done. in some accounts it was a bottle, in some accounts it was a rock...but in all accounts of the beginning of the stonewall riots it was the people's’ turn to take the lead.
the battle for human rights only lasted five days. there were beatings, death, mourning and all of the other horrors of war. in comparison to many movements before, then and even now five days is almost a cake walk, but what stirred up within those 120 hours, 7,200 minutes was that those people who loved others with the same genitalia were in fact people. in the small amount of time, the gay community joined with the rest of the underground, the outsiders, the pariahs and stopped being calm. the gay community and those who loved someone in the gay community demanded justice and dignity.
it was brought to a vote on november 2, 1969 at the eastern region conference of homophile organizations that the stonewall riots be remembered and to provide hope for the gay community at large through an inclusive, annual holiday-type celebration and memorial. it was also suggested that other groups throughout the country be contacted about the festivities which at that time were called “the christopher street liberation day”. the vote was almost unanimous (one organization abstained) that the stonewall remembrance be an annual event. word spread and soon big cities from coast to coast were celebrating “pride”.
today it’s 2016 and pride celebrations are now happening on a global scale. yes, we queers come out in our finery with glitter and fantastic attire. we make pride flags that are as long as a city block, we have drag queens, drag kings, bisexuals, lesbians, transgender men and women, allies, those who are gender/sexually queer. we come out and march for our freedoms. we come out and march for the 13 year old kid living on a park bench because they have nowhere else to go since he failed the “cure camp”. but we also come out to march with the faces and names of our fallen, in the stonewall riots but also those before and after. we walk for those who are buried and forgotten, those brave warriors who demanded all people be equal. we march to say we love you and we love us. yes, we are flamboyant compared to the typical non-queer majority-boys in dresses, girls in suits, flashing glitter rainbows, and we march because we are.