49 Years After Stonewall, Trans Women Are Still Targeted By Police

On this day, 49 years ago, our modern-day LGBTQ movement began with the Stonewall riots. The Stonewall Inn, a dark and crowded bar in New York City, was a haven for all who were forced to the margins of society. Transgender and gender non-conforming folks flocked to Stonewall as a place to live freely; they would often find the doors to both straight and gay bars closed in their faces. Stonewall gave them, and the hundreds of homeless LGBTQ youth of New York City, a place to call home.

In the 1960s, LGBTQ people from across the country were heading to New York City, many with just the clothes on their backs. Some were kids who had been thrown out of their homes for their sexuality or gender identity, and others were coming for a chance to live openly in a large city. Some found a way off of the streets, but many were left to panhandle their way to $3.00 — enough for admission into Stonewall. At Stonewall you could drink, dance, and enjoy each other’s company in ways the outside never allowed — like many queer establishments across the country, a home for its patrons. Read more...