The impact of the Stonewall riots

The aftermath of the riots saw existing gay activist groups, such as the (GAA) and (GLF), come together to hold protests in Washington, DC. These organisations created gay newspapers to broadcast their views across the community. For example, Come Out was published by the Gay Liberation Front.

The Snake Pit raid

Despite the GAA and GLF raising awareness of gay rights, further raids took place at bars that served the gay community. Eight months after the Stonewall riots, a gay bar called Snake Pit was raided in New York. The police arrested over 160 people and one man was seriously injured attempting to escape from a window. This incident gained a lot of national media attention. New York congressman Ed Koch joined the GAA in calling for the New York Police Department to change its attitudes towards the gay community.

Gay Pride marches

A photograph of a man holding up a 'Gay Pride' sign — Figure caption,
The first Gay Pride march took place on June 28th 1970, a year after the Stonewall riots

In 1970, a year after the Stonewall riots, the first ever marches were held in New York and Los Angeles. These marches were attended by a few thousand protesters and were met with support from locals. In 1971 many more cities across America hosted their own Gay Pride marches, such as San Francisco. This helped to spread awareness of against the gay community.

The increasing acceptance of Gay Pride marches across the country showed a change in attitudes across some areas of society. In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association removed from its list of recognised mental illnesses. This was an important turning point, as this was the largest psychiatric organisation in the world. However, the gay community still faced severe discrimination in the law and society. They are still fighting for equality today.

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Broadening of the campaigns for civil rights - Gay rights - OCR AThe impact of the Stonewall riots