June 28, 1969, 1:20 am. Stonewall Inn Greenwich Village, New York. A bar where LGBTQ+ people are just trying to live their lives. Police are yelling, people are trying to flee, a riot is brewing. At this time it was illegal to be gay. Let that sink in for a minute… It’s illegal to be gay in 1969 America. Men, women, and those that fell in between were not free to be themselves.
We now live in a world where being part of the LGBTQ+ community is celebrated. We spend the month of June celebrating for those that couldn’t. The first Pride took place a year after the beginning of the riots as a way to mark the anniversary. As a way to remind the world that something as simple as love was being suppressed. Did they know that by saying no they would be celebrated 50 years later?
To me Pride means so much more than many would think. I spent 31 years of my life trying to hide who I really was. In December of 2016 I finally said enough. Coming out is easily one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Little did I know, I wasn’t going to be questioned about it. I’m fortunate enough to have surrounded myself with people that understand and love me regardless of my sexual orientation. If only the original rioters at Stonewall knew what kind of path they were creating for the future of the LGBTQ+ community.
Let’s never forget that Pride started as a riot. Love is love.
The Phoenix Nest 