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City Council Meeting - May 29, 2019
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Stonewall Riots are widely considered to be the most important event that led to the empowerment of the LGBTQ community to stand up and fight for their legal rights;
WHEREAS, Prior to the Stonewall riots, there were a limited number of establishments that welcomed members of the LGBTQ community to interact with each other;
WHEREAS, There were frequent raids on these LGBTQ establishments to arrest men who had dressed up as women, which had been deemed illegal;
WHEREAS, Such arrests would often lead to LGBTQ patrons having their names published in the newspaper for impersonating a person of the opposite sex, which would result in them being fired from their jobs;
WHEREAS, On June 28, 1969, the New York Police Department raided the Stonewall Inn to arrest any man dressed as a woman, and on that occasion the patrons refused to
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cooperate with the police; ¦
WHEREAS, A large crowd gathered outside the bar to join the protest and express anger at the mistreatment of LGBTQ patrons, which led to two days of rioting;
WHEREAS, The Stonewall Riots helped many in the LGBTQ community feel empowered to advocate for freedom of expression and human rights;
WHEREAS, Two years later on June 28,1970, the first Pride Parade was held in Chicago to mark the anniversary of the Stonewall riots and has been held on the last Sunday of June ever since;
WHEREAS, Historian Lillian Faderman called the riots the "shot heard around the world," explaining that the Stonewall riots became an emblem of LGBTQ power that led to the passage of many laws that protect the rights of the LGBTQ community;
City Council Meeting - May 29,2019
WHEREAS, Members of the City Council's LGBTQ Caucus and the Mayor of Chicago are able to serve as elected leaders due to the hard work of other LGBTQ people before them;
Alderman, 35th Ward
BE IT RESOLVED, That members ofthe LGBTQ Caucus proclaim June 28, 2019, as a day of celebration for th...
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