Happy Pride!

It was a defining moment, a turning point in our culture and an event that still has an impact on our lives today. In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969 Stonewall Inn, a small bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village, was the focus of a police raid. This was not so unusual; it was illegal for bars to even serve known homosexuals. The police were frequently harassing and arresting those that gathered there. But that particular evening the gays, lesbians and transsexuals fought back. A series of spontaneous, violent, demonstrations broke out. The Stonewall riots, as they later became known, marked the start of gay rights movement. That was 42 years ago. Efforts to suppress homosexual activity backfired.  Insted, they fueled the fire that gave strength to a movement that continues today. Every June the GLBT community marks the event with worldwide pride celebrations. Locally – or at least in driving distance – we have the NYC Gay Pride Parade on Sunday, June 26th and lots of other events going on throughout the month( http://www.nycpride.org/). Jersey Pride, Inc. will be hosting its 20th annual GLBTI Pride Celebration on Sunday, June 5th at Asbury Park ( http://www.jerseypride.org/ ). For our friends in PA, go to http://www.phillypride.org/ for details about their Pride Day on June 12. To all in the GLBT community I wish you a “Happy Pride!!” Forty-Two Years Later...