June is LGBT Pride Month

June is LGBT Pride month as proclaimed by Bill Clinton in June 2000.  On June 28^th, 1969, the New York City police raided without notice the Stonewall Inn that was a gay “bar” in Greenwich Village, Manhattan.  At the time, homosexuality was illegal in all 50 states except Illinois.  The Stonewall Inn was owned by the Genovese crime family to specifically provide a place where gay and lesbian patrons could gather to drink overpriced, watered down drinks and dance in subpar conditions.  Police were regularly paid off to not raid the Stonewall and the Genovese family was involved in blackmailing more wealthy patrons, especially ones who worked at Wall Street.  On the 28^th, when the police began dragging patrons out to paddy wagons to be arrested, the surrounding crowd spontaneously erupted and began to fight back.  The rebellion lasted a few nights and is widely recognized as the beginning of the Gay Rights movement.  June 28^th, 1970, which was the first year anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, was also the beginning of Gay Pride marches and parades in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.  The Stonewall Rebellion is recognized as the first organized LGBT effort in the United States to openly gain equality under the law.  On June 24, 2016 President Obama announced the establishment of the Stonewall National Monument administrated by the National Park Service.

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