Today is the 52nd anniversary of the Stonewall riots. In yesterday’s Sunday service, Elizabeth Dunn, as a representative of the Genders and Sexualities Alliance, recognized and commemorated this landmark date:

The Stonewall riots started on June 28, 1969. The riots erupted in response to police raids at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, New York City, lasting about five days. At that time, the police commonly arrested LGBTQ+ people or those serving them. This time many of those being attacked by police resisted arrest, sparking several days of protests and riots and subsequently sparking the gay revolution demanding equal rights for LGBTQ+ people. While the gay rights movement didn’t begin at Stonewall, it was definitely a turning point. And on June 28, 1970, the first Gay Pride parade set off from the Stonewall Inn. 

• Further reading: Check out this excellent article in YES! Magazine.