Pride, protest or profits game?
IS PRIDE A PARTY OR A PROTEST? ASKS CERIAN JENKINS
CERIAN JENKINS
“What message are we sending to our allies, community and the public?”
It was 1.20am on 28 June 1969 when everything changed for the LGBTQ+ community in New York. As the NYPD forced their way into the Stonewall Inn and began to arrest patrons, little did they know that they were the catalysts to what would become a pivotal moment in our community’s history.
Dubbed The Stonewall Riots, it became clear to everyone that the lid could not, and would not, be put back on the issue of LGBTQ+ rights. They would not be silenced any longer, and activists came together to organise. The first Pride march was born – to be held in New York City as a commemoration of the one-year anniversary of the raid.