I often write about how important it is to change our conscious beliefs in order to help improve the quality of our lives. These riots are often considered to be the event that launched the modern gay rights movement. There are reports that state that these riots, later known as the Stonewall Riots, lasted three days. On the night of Jwhen the police came to raid the bar, the patrons fought back. The bar manager would be tipped off if the police were planning a raid. To enter the bar patrons would pay a $3 dollar cover and sign a register under a false name. There was one establishment located in Greenwich Village, New York, called Stonewall that would change the course of history for the LGBT community.

There were gay bars in the 1960’s but the patron’s had to fear arrest from the police raiding the bars as there were laws that banned homosexuality in public. Our gay brothers and sisters in the 1950s and 1960s had many restrictions just because of their orientation. It might be difficult for some of us who are able to roam free during Pride events or go to a gay establishment to imagine that this was not always the way things were. For the LGBT community, “Pride” is a worldwide movement and philosophy asserting that LGBT individuals should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity.