We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
IN THE EARLY hours of 28 June 1969, a small gay bar in the West Village of New York became the focal point of an uprising that changed the course of LGBT history across the world forever.
The Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village was a place of refuge for everyone and anyone from the LGBT community at the time.
It welcomed drag queens who weren’t warmly welcomed into other gay clubs and it was a pit stop for many homeless youths.
The mafia ran the bar and registered it as a “bottle bar”, which didn’t need a liquor license because attendees were supposed to bring their own alcohol. However, they sold alcohol on the premises anyway.
The club was victim to a number of raids in the lead up the riot, but whistleblower police always tipped off the management before they happened, leaving them with a chance to hide their “for sale” alcohol.
The riot
No tip off was made on the morning of the riot. Police entered unannounced.
Nine NYPD policemen stormed into the premises and arrested the employees for illegally selling alcohol.
Under New York law at the time, the police had permission to arrest anyone not wearing at least three items of “gender appropriate” attire. They took a number of people into custody.
They beat up many of the bar’s patrons and at one point an officer hit a gay woman across the head and forced her into a police van.
This raid was different than those that led up to it. The patrons were fueled with anger from the constant police harassment and social discrimination.
Within minutes, a full-blown riot involving more than 400 people began.
The police weren’t used to the hostile behaviour and violence from the patrons and barricaded themselves within the bar.
They watched on as over 400 LGBT people rioted outside.
Two of the loudest voices that led the riot were Marsha P. Johnson, a black transgender woman, and Sylvia Rivera, a transgender Latina woman.
Reports state that Rivera threw a glass bottle at police in the midst of the raid and yelled:
I’m not missing a minute of this. It’s the revolution.
Over the course of the next five days, rioters attempted to repeatedly breach the barricade and tried to set the bar alight. The New York Fire Department calmed the flames and the crowds eventually dispersed.
Legacy
Although the Stonewall riots didn’t start the gay rights movement, it became a symbol of resistance to social and political discrimination across the world.
The event led to the founding of a number of LGBT rights organisations including GLAAD, Queer Nation, PFLAG (formerly Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and the Human Rights Campaign.
Today, dozens of countries around the world host their Pride parades during the month of June, in memory of the riots.
Some of these include the UK, Mexico, Canada, Spain, Germany, Israel and Norway.
Dublin’s first Pride parade
The first Pride parade in Ireland’s capital wasn’t sparked by the Stonewall riots but it did have its origins in violent discrimination. It was held in response to a horrific attack in Fairview Park in 1982 in which a young gay man died.
Declan Flynn was 31 years old when he was killed by a gang of four in the park.
In March 1983, the four attackers were given suspended sentences of between one and five years, kicking off what is considered by some as the first large-scale demonstration in Dublin for gay rights.
In outrage at the sentencing and in protest against violence toward gay men and women in Ireland, the gay community, unions and supporters marched from Dublin city centre to Dublin’s Fairview Park.
While there had been small scale marches, this was the first time a group of people, not just from the gay community, gathered to demand equal rights for all.
The first pride parade was organised by the National Lesbian and Gay Federation for June 1983.
With reporting from Christina Finn.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
How many were Irish born?
This is a worrying development.
What’s worrying about it? That 26 people went home to join the fight rather than sit on their arses and moan about it like us?
Go home and fight? The two lads who died were from Egypt and Libya. They were recruited to fight in Syria by jihadists.
Young men, living in Ireland, being recruited by jihadists is very worrying indeed.
If you don’t understand what’s worrying about it, you understand neither the conflict itself or the motivation of those who are prepared (hoping) to die to establish a fascist theocracy there.
Irish or “Irish”? Big difference.
They may have obtained Irish citizenship but they certainly were not Irish! But sure its the easiest passport in the world to get your hands on, just collect 10 tokens on special packs of rice Crispies or send $10 along with your new desired idendity to Olobom Uamama c/o Lagos Legitimate Passport Enterprises
Re Declan.
Well I have been saying for almost two years now that the majority of the ‘rebels’ are foreign religious nut jobs. While this report does not confirm that it does show what the Syrian government and people have been saying for a long time, that there are literally thousands of foreign people just showing up in Syria trying to implement Sharia law and commuting terrible atrocities.
Hopefully the Syrian government can defeat these foreign backed terrorists.
The new prime minister of the opposition’s interim government is from Dallas.
B Lowe, here’s the BS with you. You are critical of a “one man operation” out of a house in England commenting on what’s going on in Syria but you yourself are this “little one man operation” getting on here time after time telling us all “your truth” about endless conspiracies.
Get out of the shadows.
Very class Declan.
I am a one man nothing. I contribute to debates with information, you contribute with endless personal attacks.
No b Lowe, you don’t give any information. You have never given any reliable source to back up what you say. All you do is attack the west, the US and western media.
You are not a credible source for anything going on in the world.
And what are you saying dec? That there’s no outside influence fighting in Syria? Enlighten us when your contacts from Syria get back to you mmmkay
Well in fairness BLowe, this does pretty much blow your “Syrian opposition is mainly comprised of foreign terrorists” mantra clean out of the water.
We all know that foreign fighters are on the ground, but this study confirms that they only make up a small proportion of the muti-faceted anti-Assad forces.
Re Mattoid.
I actually green thumbed you there. Yes, this report does not show that the majority of the opposition are foreign religious nuts. This is correct.
However, I still believe the majority of the so called ‘rebels ‘ are foreign nationals intent on making Syria a secular state with Sharia law. I believe more concrete proof for this will come out as the proxy invasion continues.
I mean we have a Saudi minister saying 1,000 hardened criminals were released from Saudi jails and sent to cause mayhem in Syria. As long as this conflict continues the truth will get out slowly.
Thanks for the green thumb BLowe, but I have always argued with you that although foreign fighters are on the ground in Syria they only make up a small percentage of those fighting against Assad’s forces, and this report totally vindicates my position.
It also disproves your repeated assertion that the vast majority of anti-Assad fighters are foreign. You have just said that you still believe that to be the case (as is your prerogative) but unless you know something that these researchers (and their 450 cited sources) don’t then your stance is pretty irrational.
In addition, despite all your criticism of foreign fighters entering a conflict that has nothing to do with them you have never once referred to the Iranian soldiers known to have been sent in to support the Assad dictatorship.
Any red-haired Eugene O Shaughnassy’s on the list?
I hope the government and Gardai will bring these people upon return for questioning. The rebels are extreme Muslims. In fact they really are fascists.
Assad I hate but the rebels are dangerous. Better the devil you know.
The families of these Irish kids should also be questioned. Why are kids growing up in Ireland traveling around the world fighting to support religious extremism ? So much for being told our Muslim youths don’t have the same problems that France ,Britian etc have with their Muslim youths.
They are fighting oppression like the Irish people for years in the past
The rebels will bring a lot worse to that country with their extreme beliefs and actions. Best the lads out there stay out there.
Its worrying that these people may return to Ireland after being involved in this war,one can only imagine the things they have seen and done,I wonder can they possibly fit back into a society so very different than there own
B Lowe will be along soon to spout some verbal diarrhea
Hmmm….
Go for it!
B Lowe, I see that you are commenting on another article about the Newton shooting being a conspiracy. It’s all a conspiracy with you. You are not a critical thinker.
Re Declan.
????
After the disingenuous PC headline we have to read to the very last paragraph to be told that one of the ‘Irish’ lads killed in Syria was born in Libya, the other in Egypt — which just might, conceivably, have some connection with their reasons for signing up for the intra-Islamic sectarian civil war in Syria!?! While, as the study says, not all of these foreign fighters have al-Qaeda motivations, others probably do and more may become radicalised while over there. Like JaymiIreland I sure hope the Gardai here will be watching these potentially very dangerous ‘Irish lads’ when they return.
It’s a shame that our own media (including the Journal.ie) brainwashes us using false information and then some of us go and fight against the democratically-elected Syrian government. Pitty
Please show me some evidence of TheJournal.ie and other media organisations engaging in brainwashing.
Please show me some evidence that the Syrian government is democratically elected – multi-party elections have been banned there since the early 70′s!
That’s like enabling the Irish people to decide which member of FG they wish to lead the next government but banning SF, FF, Lab, independents etc.. from running! You can have any colour you like as long as its black!
I suppose these chaps are what the Irish Times calls “the New Irish.”…………… Yawn……….
Irish:-S
Islamic Religious nut jobs on both sides wishing to turn Syria into a new Iran or Saudi Arabia. 236 so called Irish people killed shows they have no loyalty to the Irish state and maybe we should re evaluate who is allowed to come to Ireland and avail of state services and citizenship. Other religious group who show scant regard to Ireland over the years would be the Catholic Church,Jewish, protestant groups loyalty to foreign entities.Religious belief is for the weak minded who are incapable of individual thought.
Are these people ethnically Irish, people who have moved to Ireland, or those who have manahed to get Irish citizenship ?
So what! Irish people have fighting in other peoples wars for centuries, look at the Spanish civil war, the American civil war not to mention the numerous Irish regiments in various armies throughout the world. The big worry for Ireland right now is that some of these ‘freedom fighters’ don’t get mixed up with the Islamic Jihadists and end up coming back to do harm in Ireland, the UK/US/EU or against any American interests or companies in Ireland. Unfortunately Ireland is seen as a soft touch with poor security and a lack of military means to defend it’s own territory by many terror groups, ie with a tiny navy (fishery protection force), no air force and a small under equipped army who can blame them!
The British have been very busy revoking the citizenship of the violent religious lunatics who have traveled from Britain to fight in Syria. I am sure we can all rest easy in our beds in the confidence that our own Government will follow suit. In about 15 years time.
have your say