Rock and Roll Saved My Soul

A Brief History on Pride Month – The history of the LGBT movement can be traced to the Stonewall Inn in New York’s Greenwich Village. Stonewall marked the first time that gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people as a group forcefully and vocally asserted their rights to equality under the law. Historically, the LGBT community was subjected to civil laws that, in New York City, allowed bars to refuse service to LGBT patrons. Arrests, harassment and instances of entrapment by police were frequent. Civil laws reinforced their actions. Establishments often cited Section 106, Subsection 6 of the New York State Penal Code to refuse service to LGBT patrons. The code barred premises from becoming "disorderly houses." Many, including the courts, considered LGBT patrons to be disorderly. LGBT patrons were often entrapped by plain clothes police officers, posing as regular bar patrons. Transgender people were openly arrested on the streets. One establishment where LGBT patrons f...

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan. The Stonewall riots were a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. In the United States the last Sunday in June was initially celebrated as “Gay Pride Day,” but the actual day was flexible. In major cities across the nation the “day” soon grew to encompass a month-long series of events. Today, celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia and concerts, and LGBTQ Pride Month events attract millions of participants around the world. Memorials are held during this month for those members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally. In 1994, a coalition of edu...