A time to both celebrate and remember
During this month of commemoration and celebrations, the Center for Nonprofit Advancement acknowledges and applauds the history and bravery of the LGBTQ+ movement. On June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn in New York City. At the time, gay and LGBT acts and bars were illegal. The Stonewall Riots that followed sparked a long resistance movement for LGBTQ+ liberation in America.
It is important to note that key, often forgotten, early leaders of this movement are trans women of color and lesbians of color. There are several resources to learn more about current women of color leading the movement and those on the front lines in 1969.
In the past two decades, the LGBTQ+ community has made huge progress worth celebrating! From landmark Supreme Court rulings like same-sex marriage equality in 2015 and protection against anti-LGBTQ employment discrimination in 2020, to the increasing amount of representation and storytelling in books and media, there are many victories.
There is still more work to do to, but this month we join with the LGBTQ+ community in celebrating substantial steps toward liberation.