Democratic senators introduced a resolution to honor the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots for the first time in U.S. history.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin – the first openly gay candidate ever elected to the Senate – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand introduced the resolution on Wednesday (June 26). The resolution was co-sponsored by some big names, including Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and Sen. Michael Bennet.
“During the time around the opening of the Stonewall Inn, many State and local governments, including New York City, criminalized how LGBTQ individuals express their identities and relationships, which resulted in LGBTQ individuals frequently being harassed by law enforcement, including the New York City Police Department (NYPD),” the resolution says. “Brave individuals, particularly transgender women of color, stood up to injustice the night of June 28, 1969. Which sparked an uprising against the NYPD, with confrontations and protests at the Stonewall Inn and the surrounding area lasting until July 3, 1969.”
The resolution requires that Senate recognizes the anniversary of the uprising, “condemns violence and discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community and recommits itself to securing justice, equality, and well-being for LGBTQ individuals,” and “commends the bravery, solidarity, and resiliency of the LGBTQ community in the face of violence and discrimination, both past and present.”
Sen. Baldwin delivered a speech about the resolution and Stonewall this morning (June 27).
“We should be proud of the enormous progress we have made in the last 50 years and let us remain inspired by the courage of this story,” she said, “the story of Stonewall.”