1999: Ten years of Stonewall
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Named after the bar in New York where a riot kick-started the Gay Liberation movement, the lobby group Stonewall celebrates its tenth birthday this month.
Angela Mason, Stonewall's chief executive, discusses the motivation behind the organisation and its history. The Stonewall Riot is generally taken to be the flashpoint that inspired the Gay Pride movement.
On 28 June 1969, police officers raided the Stonewall Inn, a bar in Greenwich Village, New York, that was frequented by gay men, lesbians and transvestites. A riot ensued, which led to several days of protests and civil disobedience. The incident was spontaneous, but it motivated many gay people to join together and create groups such as the Gay Liberation Front.
In June 1970, the weekend of the first anniversary of the riots was marked by marches in New York, Chicago and San Francisco. Many major cities across the world followed suit, with London hosting its first annual Gay Pride rally on 1 July 1972.
