Happy Gay Pride

Since it’s gay pride weekend, I was just reading about the Stonewall riots in 1969 that kicked off the gay rights moment. Apparently the big question is, if gay folks were used to the police raids like the one that took place at the Stonewall Inn, then why did they riot?

This is what it says on Wikipedia:

“What may have made the June 1969 raid different was the death a week earlier of Judy Garland, an important cultural icon with whom many in the gay community identified. The palpable grief at her loss culminated with her funeral on Friday, June 27, attended by 22,000 people, including perhaps 12,000 gay men. Many of the Stonewall patrons were still emotionally distraught when the raid occurred that night, and refused to react passively.”-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_riots

Since when did Judy Garland become the catalyst for the global gay rights movement? That sounds like some historian may have gotten a little bit confused. But either way, that's my favorite riot cause EVER.

Imagine what would happen if Madonna died.


Oh and in case anyone wants a quick Gay Pride history lesson, here it is (from the same Wikipedia link):

“The Stonewall riots, which as a whole is often called the Stonewall Rebellion, were a series of violent conflicts between gay men and police officers in New York City. The first night of rioting began on Friday, June 27, 1969 not long after 1:20 a.m., when police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village. "Stonewall," as the raids are often referred to, is generally considered a turning point for the modern gay rights movement worldwide, as it is one of the first times in modern history a significant body of gay people resisted arrest.”