By: Zoe Strickland
Managing Editor

A police raid on June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn was the event that started the Stonewall riots. Now, people across the country celebrate June as LGBTQ+ pride month.

The Stonewall riots began after New York police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, for reportedly serving alcohol without a liquor license, and arrested numerous people who weren’t dressed in gender-appropriate clothing.

According to an article from PBS in 2015, “a person perceived as male who dressed in clothing customarily designed for women could technically be arrested in New York for ‘impersonating a female’ as recently as 2011.” The police raid of the Stonewall Inn ended up sparking the uprising of the Gay Liberation Movement.

According to the Oregon branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, “Stonewall is widely seen as an important turning point to more outspoken and confrontational forms of gay rights advocacy … it can be said that the Stonewall Riots were an important step on the path from stigma to public awareness and consciousness.”

The riots at the Stonewall Inn were some of the first stepping stones in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights; a fight that is still continuing today.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Oregon since 2014, and legal across the United States since 2015.

Most recently, Governor Kate Brown signed in a bill that would allow a gender-neutral option on Oregon driver’s licenses and identification cards.

“Memorials are held during this month for those members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally,” reads an informational page from the Library of Congress.

Local events in Oregon help to commemorate the loss of members of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as provide a place for members of the community to celebrate their different identities.

Pride Northwest, a Portland-based nonprofit, hosts a pride parade and festival in Portland every year. This year’s parade and festival will be held at Portland’s Waterfront Park on June 17 and 18.

Salem will also be hosting a pride parade on Aug. 5, and Eugene will be hosting one on Aug. 12.

Students who are looking to be more involved in LGBTQ+ advocacy can volunteer at Pride Northwest, Basic Rights Oregon or on-campus at the Stonewall Center.

Contact the author at journalmanaging@wou.edu