From Protest to Pride: Why the History of Stonewall Still Matters✊

Hey Booklovers!

We often see Pride month as a celebration—of love, of visibility, of being unapologetically ourselves. And it is a celebration, but it’s also a remembrance.

For me, as a gay man and an author who writes stories that center queer voices, Pride isn’t just glitter and rainbows. It’s rooted in protest. It’s born from rage, resilience, and a community that refused to be erased. And that all goes back to one night in New York City: the Stonewall Riots of 1969.

📍 What were the Stonewall Riots?

On June 28, 1969, police once again raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York’s Greenwich Village. These raids were part of daily life for LGBTQ+ people back then. The police could arrest you for dancing with someone of the same gender, for wearing clothing that didn’t “match” your legal gender, or simply for existing in the wrong space at the wrong time.

But that night, something shifted. The patrons of Stonewall—many of whom were trans women, drag queens, homeless queer youth, and people of color—had had enough. They pushed back. Literally. They fought back against the police, sparking a series of protests that lasted for days.

🏳️‍🌈 Who were the heroes of Stonewall?

The people who lit the match at Stonewall weren’t mainstream activists. They were people who’d been marginalized even within the LGBTQ+ community:

• Marsha P. Johnson, a Black trans activist and performer, often described herself as a “nobody, from Nowheresville.” She became a symbol of queer liberation.
• Sylvia Rivera, a Latina trans woman, helped start what we now think of as queer intersectional activism.
• Stormé DeLarverie, a butch lesbian, is rumored to have thrown the first punch. Whether that’s true or not, she was a central figure in that night—and in our history.

They didn’t just resist police violence. They started a revolution.

📖 How did Stonewall inspire the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement?

The uprising at Stonewall wasn’t just a local event. It marked the birth of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.

The following year, on June 28, 1970, thousands of people marched in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles to commemorate the riots. That was the first Pride parade. From then on, Pride became not just a remembrance of Stonewall, but a statement: We are here. We exist. We deserve rights.

As a gay man in his 40s who came of age when queer stories were almost invisible, I feel this legacy in every page I write. Stonewall gave me the right to tell my truth—openly, freely, and with pride.

Why is Pride called Christopher Street Day in Germany?

Here in Germany (and in other parts of Europe), Pride is often called Christopher Street Day (CSD). Why? Because Stonewall Inn is located on Christopher Street in Manhattan. The name is a direct tribute to the brave people who fought back that night in 1969.

CSD celebrations in Germany began in the late 1970s and early 1980s, following the global rise of LGBTQ+ activism inspired by Stonewall. And while the parades are full of music, color, and fabulous outfits, they’re still deeply political. Every Pride flag waved is a nod to the people who made it possible.

✍️ What does Stonewall mean to me as a gay author?

As someone who was bullied all through my school years and told long before I understood what “gay” even meant that it was something to be ashamed of, the legacy of Stonewall is personal.

When I write queer characters in my YA fiction, I do it to honor the people who didn’t have representation. I do it for the kids like me—confused, scared, but full of love and life—who just needed to see themselves in a story.

Stonewall taught us that visibility is power. And today, every queer book, film, or character we put into the world is a step forward. But we have to keep going—because the fight is far from over.

We owe everything to those who stood up in that little bar on Christopher Street. Let’s make sure their courage lives on in every book we write, every parade we join, and every truth we speak.

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Stay bookish and fabulous,

Felix