A protest was also held in 1966, three years before Stonewall, where LGBTQ+ rights group The Mattachine Society performed a “sip-in” in which members would openly declare their sexualities around bartenders and see if they would still be served, suing those who did not serve them. This eventually led to the Committee of Human Rights declaring that bars must serve LGBTQ+ patrons. Police raids on LGBTQ+ locations were temporarily reduced.

Along with these gay rights groups, gay bars were also somewhat common, especially in New York City. These were places where LGBTQ+ people could feel secure and express themselves. However, these bars were constant victims of police raids and often shut down any establishment that provided towards LGBTQ+ people.

The Genovese crime family had control over many gay bars, and The Stonewall Inn was no exception. The Stonewall Inn specifically did not require a liquor license because it was known as a “bottle bar” where people brought in their own drinks. The Genovese family also bribed police into ignoring the club’s activities. Because police would not interfere, the Genovese family did not regard the bar’s quality. The bar lacked clean toilets, running water to wash bottles, and palatable drinks. Wealthier customers were often blackmailed if they wanted to keep their sexual and/or gender identities secret.

     Despite some lack in quality, The Stonewall Inn was very beloved due to being large and cheap to enter. It was a safe place at night for gay youth that were runaways or homeless. It also welcomed drag queens, which were poorly treated in many other gay bars.

     Even though the police were being bribed by the crime family that owned the bar, raids were still common. The bar was raided just a few days before the raid that invoked the Stonewall Uprising.

     Instead of fleeing as they usually did, patrons of The Stonewall Inn stayed. They were vocal as people around them were forced into police vans. As the patrons got more furious, the police got nervous, and the frustration of the crowds turned to rage and eventually a violent protest. 

     People began resisting the police, throwing objects and debris at the ones that were arresting others. The police had never faced such hostility from gay groups, so in response they called reinforcements and barricaded themselves inside the bar. The patrons began attempting to set the bar on fire, all while still rioting outside. The fire department and a riot squad eventually stopped the fire and rescued the trapped officers. The protests did not stop, continuing on for five days in roughly the same area.

     One year after the riots, on June 28th 1970, the first American gay pride parade was held. Thousands of people marched from the Stonewall Inn to Central Park. At the time, this was only known as “Christopher Street Liberation Day,” but it inspired the many modern pride marches held today.

     In 2016, President Barack Obama designated Stonewall Inn, Christopher Park, and the surrounding streets and sidewalks a national monument. In 2019, soon before the 50th anniversary of the riots, New York City’s police commissioner James P. O’Neill apologized on behalf of the department.

     The uprising at Stonewall Inn paved the way for gay rights at the time and nowadays in the future. Without the powerful and brave resistance of LGBTQ+ people at the time, especially the youth, gay rights may not be as advanced as they are today.

https://www.britannica.com/event/Stonewall-riots

https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2019/06/25/stonewall-participant-recalls-riots-that-transformed-the-gay-rights-movement