The violent origin of Pride Weekend
The violent origin of Pride weekend
This weekend marks more than 50 years of Pride celebrations in Seattle. However, the violent origin of the movement is sometimes overshadowed by the fun events.
SEATTLE - This weekend marks more than 50 years of Pride celebrations in Seattle. However, the violent origin of the movement is sometimes overshadowed by the fun events.
All month, Pride-related activities are scheduled throughout the city, including brunches, festivals, and parades.
Pride weekend is held on the last weekend of June. Usually coinciding with the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots.
Violent history of Pride Weekend
"The weekend that we’re celebrating is the weekend when a bunch of transgender people, mostly people of color, were protesting police violence against them," said Washington State Senator Jamie Pedersen.
In the '60s, homosexuality was illegal throughout the country. Gay people were targeted for harassment and violence.
The mafia took advantage of these circumstances, by running nightclubs where the LGBTQ+ community could seek refuge.
However, these were not safe spaces.
In New York City, the Genovese crime family ran the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village.
The mafia paid off the police to ignore activities which led to unsafe parameters inside the establishment as well as cheap, watered-down drinks.
Despite payoffs, police raids on bars were still constant. However, they usually came with a warning and during slower business hours, according to reports.
On June 28, 1969, officers raided the Stonewall Inn during the busy, early morning hours, when many people were inside the bar.
A crowd gathered outside the bar as police were arresting club-goers, hostilities rose, violence erupted, bottles were thrown, and fires were set.
Soon, hundreds were surrounding the small gay bar. Police were outnumbered, until riot patrols provided back-up. Both police and community members were injured and officers arrested several people.
For six days, people protested. Historians point to this moment as the start of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.
The next year, on the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the first Pride March was held.
In 2019, 50 years after the riots, the New York City police commissioner apologized for the raid on the Stonewall Inn.
Senator Pedersen, a member of the Washington State Legislative LGBTQ caucus, tells FOX 13 Seattle this decades-old fight still resonates today within the community.
"So, I think in a funny way, what that helps reawaken in folks is the need to be active, be visible, stand up and demand equal treatment," said Pedersen. "It’s not merely a party or a big opportunity for commercial advertisements. Instead, it helps to return to that original spirit that inspired the first pride at Stonewall," he added.
Nakita Venus, the executive director of Seattle’s LGBTQ+ Center, tells FOX 13 Seattle it is important to remember the reason behind the celebration.
"When we are dancing, when we are celebrating, making sure that we are being mindful of our neighbors, mindful of the most vulnerable around us, that we are centering their needs and their care so that everyone in our community can celebrate together, because it’s our joy that has carried us through the years and years of fight for liberation," Venus said.
The History of Stonewall: 56 years later
FOX 13 News reporter AJ Janavel discusses his upcoming story on the pivotal history of the Stonewall Uprising, exploring the 1969 events that ignited the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. He delves into how earlier acts of resistance laid the groundwork for Pride.
The Source: Information in this story came from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle's AJ Janavel.
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