Most people know that the first Pride was a riot – a 1969 protest outside the New York City gay bar the Stonewall Inn – that changed the course of US history for queer and trans rights. But as America celebrates its 250th anniversary, queer and trans people are watching things go backwards into a more repressive era.
Attacks from federal and state governments marred a month of celebration, including in states with explicitly pro-LGBTQ+ elected officials and policies in place. And as other communities face attacks – whether through ICE’s deportation campaign or repression against protesters exercising the first amendment in speaking out against it – the American history LGBTQ+ people seem to be holding up most is one of protest and riot, a legacy that traces back to the country’s founding.
