56 Years Since Stonewall: Still Here, Still Loud, Still Proud

Today marks 56 years since a bunch of drag queens, trans women, queer youth, and everyone else sick of being shaken down by cops decided enough was enough. We may never know who threw the first brick on June 28, 1969 - or whether there was even a single “first brick” - because Stonewall was never about one person. It was a collective middle finger to a system that tried to keep queer people silent, invisible, and ashamed.

Since that night, we’ve kept fighting, kept dancing, and kept surviving. Some milestones worth remembering:

• 1970: The first Christopher Street Liberation March, the spark of Pride

• 1973: The APA finally admits we’re not mentally ill and removes homosexuality from the DSM

• 1978: Harvey Milk’s assassination, which turned grief into a rallying cry

• 1981: AIDS devastates the community, but queer people organize care when no one else will

• 1987: ACT UP is born, demanding action while the government looked away

• 1993: “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” tries to shove us back into the closet

• 1996: DOMA tries to slam the door on same-sex marriage

• 2003: Lawrence v. Texas strikes down sodomy laws

• 2009: The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act adds protections we should have had all along

• 2010: Repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” finally

• 2013: Windsor starts to chip away at DOMA

• 2015: Obergefell secures marriage equality across the nation, turning 10 this year

• 2016: Stonewall becomes a National Monument

• 2020: Title VII wins protection for LGBTQ workers

• 2022: The Respect for Marriage Act helps safeguard what we’ve built

But let’s be clear. Progress doesn’t stay safe on its own. Right now we are staring down:

• Executive orders gutting trans rights and gender-affirming care

• Bans on LGBTQ-inclusive lessons in schools

• Courts shifting to side with book bans and opt-out culture

• Threats to marriage equality itself from judges itching to turn back the clock

Sound familiar? It should. Because oppression never really dies; it just re-brands.

Stonewall reminds us: progress is not permanent. From police raids in 1969 to the current attempts to erase queer and trans people from public life, our struggle has always required courage and community.

As we mark 56 years since Stonewall and 10 years of nationwide marriage equality, let’s honor the heroes before us and stay ready to defend our future - in the courts, in the streets, at the ballot box, and in our everyday lives.

✨ Stonewall lives on in every act of resistance.
✨ Stonewall lives on in every Pride march.
✨ Stonewall lives on in you.

Still here. Still loud. Still proud.