1969 Despite some progress in the postwar era, basic civil rights were largely denied to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.   In the early-morning hours of Saturday, June 28, 1969, members of the New York City Police Department staged a raid at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village neighborhood. Such raids were not uncommon at NYC gay bars at the time, what was unique on this night is that the patrons had decided to fight back.

1970 The first Pride marches started the following year, on June 28, 1970, in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago to commemorate the multiday riots, and these one-day celebrations eventually evolved into a full month of LGBTQ pride. In New York, organizers dubbed their event the Christopher Street Liberation Day March.

1978 The original gay pride flags flew at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade celebration on June 25, 1978.

1999 in June 1999, President Bill Clinton officially designated June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month, in recognition of the Stonewall Riots and gay activism throughout the years. 

2009 A more-inclusive name was chosen in 2009 by President Barack Obama: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month.

But there’s more! Learn more about the Stonewall Uprising by checking out the documentary below by PBS.