In this restrictive environment, the Stonewall Inn opened for business on Christopher Street in Manhattan in 1966.
Not only could men be arrested for dressing in drag, but also, acts such as serving liquor to gay people and public displays of homosexuality were outlawed. From their origins as a memorial to their current incarnation as colorful celebrations, pride parades remember the past while serving as acts of resistance against those seeking to strip the LGBTQ community of the rights it has fought so hard to gain.ĭuring the 1960s in New York City, a number of repressive laws were in place targeting LGBTQ people. Ever since Pride began as a single-day commemoration in 1970, marches and parades have been part of the event. Pride is celebrated each June in honor of the Stonewall Uprising, which took place in 1969 in Manhattan. During LGBTQ Pride Month, we celebrate this community and the impact its members have had on local, national, and international history.