Stonewall Inn
Most of the Pride parades nowadays take place around June annually to commemorate the Stonewall riots, a spontaneous demonstration by members of the LGBT community against a police raid. The riots happened in a bar called Stonewall Inn located in Greenwich Village, New York City, a bar that is popular among the most marginalized group in the LGBT community: drag queen, transgender, effeminate young men, butch lesbians, male prostitutes, and homeless youth.
On the early morning of June 28, 1969, a police raid announced at the double doors of Stonewall Inn. Stonewall employees did not recall being tipped off that a raid was to occur that night, as was the custom. Bar management usually knew about raids beforehand due to police tip-offs, and raids occurred early enough in the evening that business could commence after the police had finished. Police raids on gay bars were frequent, occurring on average once a month for each bar. The period immediately before June 28, 1969, was marked by frequent raids of local bars, including a raid at the Stonewall Inn on the Tuesday before the riots, and the closing of the Checkerboard, the Tele-Star, and two other clubs in Greenwich Village.
The police tried to restrain some of the crowd, and knocked a few people down, which incited bystanders even more. Some of those handcuffed in the wagon escaped when police left them unattended. Things were thrown, garbage on fire, words spoken, thousands of people had gathered in front of Stonewall. The incidents on Wednesday night lasted about an hour, and were summarized by one witness: "The word is out. Christopher Street shall be liberated. The fags have had it with oppression."
Judy Garland
The reasons frequently given for her standing as an icon among gay men are admiration of her ability as a performer, the way her personal struggles seemed to mirror those of gay men in America during the height of her fame, and her value as a camp figure. Her role as Dorothy in Wizard of Oz is particularly noted for contributing to this status. Another interesting point is that her funeral, on June 27, 1969, is almost on the same day as the riot happened, but proved to be unrelated by historian David Carter. Another connection of Judy Garland being the gay icon is the rainbow flag, which is the symbol of LGBT community might have been inspired by her song ‘Over the Rainbow.’