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🌈 What Is Pride Day?

Pride Day—celebrated on June 28Ā each year—is the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, a moment when LGBTQ+ people, many of them Black and Brown trans folks, said: enough.

Not a party. Not a parade. A riot.


šŸ—“ļø The Spark: June 28, 1969 – The Stonewall Uprising

Where:Ā The Stonewall Inn, Greenwich Village, NYC

Who:Ā LGBTQ+ community members—drag queens, trans women, sex workers, runaways, homeless youth, and bar regulars

Why:Ā Police had raided the bar—again—just like they did to almost every LGBTQ+ establishment in the 1960s. But that night? People fought back.

What happened:

  • Cops stormed the bar to arrest patrons for ā€œcross-dressingā€ or ā€œdisorderly conduct.ā€

  • Instead of scattering, people resisted.

  • Patrons and neighbors clashed with police—throwing bottles, bricks, and fists.

  • Crowds grew by the hundreds. The street turned into a battleground.

  • The rebellion lasted for six nights.

It was messy. Loud. Queer rage made visible.


šŸ”„ Why It Mattered

Before Stonewall:

  • Being gay was a crime.

  • ā€œCross-dressingā€ could get you arrested.

  • You could be fired, beaten, or institutionalized for your identity.

  • Queer people lived in the shadows—no rights, no visibility, no safety.

Stonewall said, "We will notĀ be silent. We will notĀ be erased. We will notĀ go quietly.


āœŠšŸ¾ The Forgotten Heroes

Names you should know:

  • Marsha P. Johnson—Black trans activist, performer, and co-founder of Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR)

  • Sylvia Rivera—Latina trans woman, lifelong activist for queer youth and homeless LGBTQ+ people

  • StormĆ© DeLarverie—butch lesbian and drag king, often credited with throwing the first punch

  • Miss Major Griffin-Gracy—Black trans elder who survived incarceration and has fought for trans justice for decades

These weren’t celebrities. They were survivors—and they lit the fuse.


šŸ³ļøā€šŸŒˆ Pride Was Never Meant to Be Comfortable

The first Pride wasn’t a parade—it was a protest marchĀ on the anniversary of Stonewall:

šŸ“ June 28, 1970 – Christopher Street Liberation Day

They marched to say:

  • ā€œWe’re here.ā€

  • ā€œWe exist.ā€

  • ā€œWe won’t be ashamed.ā€


šŸ’” So What Does Pride Mean Now?

It’s not just rainbows and playlists. It’s history + healing + heat.

For every drag queen banned, For every trans kid bullied, For every queer soul who never made it out—

Pride is a promise.

To be louder.

To be freer.

To never go back.

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