![]() As the gay rights movement grew, so did the marches, which came to be collectively known as Gay Pride and then Pride parades. (Christopher Street was the location of the Stonewall Inn, and epicentre of the riots.) Similar small events were held in Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. ![]() On 28 June 1970, exactly a year to the day since the police raid, the first Christopher Street Liberation Day was held, attracting a few thousand LGBTQ+ activists. Soon they were advocating nothing less than “gay liberation”.įrom consciousness-raising groups to fundraising dances, protests outside hostile newspapers to refuges for homeless trans and queer people, this surge in LGBTQ+ organising took many forms, and as the first anniversary of the riots came into view, some in the community began discussing how best to mark what was becoming regarded as the “Bastille day” of gay rights. Following this explosion of rage, LGBTQ+ people in New York and further afield transformed the small pre-existing gay rights movement. ![]() While the Stonewall riots were a spontaneous eruption of anger against police harassment, they had been a long time in the making, and while the riots lasted only a few days, their repercussions continue to this day. After Stonewall, things could never go back to how they were before. Baird’s story is echoed in the accounts of thousands of LGBTQ+ people across the the world.
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![]() Even Glacier and Yellowstone National Park had official representation, with rangers waving rainbow flags in the Big Sky Pride Parade. University of Montana mascot Monte was there, carrying a rainbow-colored grizzly-paw print, as was a rainbow-clad Champ from Montana State. The whole community, it seemed, embraced the festivities. At Bert and Ernie’s restaurant, you could even order a lunch “Pride” special of rainbow pasta. Local stores, restaurants, hotels, bars and other businesses proudly displayed rainbow flags, and – for the first time ever – a rainbow flag flew over the Montana Capitol. Many of the hundreds of Montanans who gathered for the Big Sky Pride parade, which snaked through Last Chance Gulch and was followed by a rally in Anchor and Pioneer parks, were adorned in bright rainbow clothing and waved rainbow flags to show support for the state’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and question (LGBTQ) community. Saturday morning in Helena started out with a bit of rain, but it was followed by rainbows, lots of rainbows – which have come to symbolize diversity, equality and inclusiveness worldwide. The Pride event, held this year in Helena, drew hundreds of supporters from across Montana. |
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