All month the 2SLGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group (ERG) will be putting out Communiqué with reminders, information, and history relevant to Pride.
When you think about Pride, what comes to mind? Many of us think about parties, parades, rainbows, celebration, love, and all things 2SLGBTQ+ (2-Spirited, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, +)! But before we wrap ourselves in rainbow flags and go dancing through the streets, let’s pause to think about what we are celebrating, how far we have come and how we can create safer, more loving, and openhearted communities.
The Stonewall Riots, 1969
For decades leading up to the Stonewall Riots of 1969, tensions between the 2SLGBTQ+ community and law enforcement were mounting. Queer gatherings were routinely targeted by police who would confront, intimidate, and arrest those in attendance.
On the night of June 28th, 1969, police entered and began making arrests at a popular gay bar in Greenwich Village, NYC, called the Stonewall Inn. They violently arrested dozens of queer patrons and employees, a majority of whom were racialized. Frustrated and angry after decades of abuse, bar-goers collectively resisted. By 4 a.m., the mob had grown so large that police barricaded themselves inside the Inn while the crowd attempted to break through the doors.
The protests continued for six days and were largely led by Black and racialized 2SLGBTQ+ folks like Storme’ DeLarverie, Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson. The uprising gave rise to activist groups who continued to fight for the right to be openly themselves and free from the threat of arrests and violence. They proposed an annual march that would take place on the last Saturday of June to mark the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and to continue to garner support for the advancement of 2SLGBTQ+ rights.
So, this June, as we continue to safely gather, let us give thanks to the 2SLGBTQ+ activists and allies who paved the way for us to be able to march throughout the streets of Toronto, wrapped in rainbow flags, full of pride.
Stay tuned for more Pride Humber Communiqué posts throughout the month of June.