I took notes on this presentation for Toastmasters, Lisa (the presenter) felt I did not present everything accurately, so she provided some updated notes. Here they are:

• On June 28, 1969, several patrons were at a bar in New York’s Greenwich Village.   This bar was run by the mafia because it’s patrons were considered “undesirable” and it was illegal to serve the at other bars in the state.
• During the raid, the patrons decided they had enough of the discrimination.  As one of them was being forced into a paddy wagon she yelled to the crowd “Why don’t you DO something”  A drag queen named Marsha P. Johnson threw a shot glass at police, this would later be referred to as “the shot glass that was heard around the world”
• This so called “undesirable” patronage of the bar were gay men and lesbian women. plus many drag queens.   They wanted to have basic rights to be able to gather to dance, drink and socialize.  The name of the bar is the Stonewall Inn and it is pivotal in the fight for equal rights for LBGTQ (lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, queer) people.
• One year later several of the original patrons and many other who supported the cause gathered to march in the Christopher Street Liberation Day.  This was the first gay pride parade.
• Rights for the LBGTQ community have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.  On June 12, 2016, another bar where members of the community could gather to drink, dance and socialize was attacked.  In the worst mass shooting in the United States history the Pulse club was attacked.   49 people were killed and another 58 wounded.  This was a hate crime against the LGBT community.  This is unacceptable.
• As citizens of this country, as people who undoubtedly personally knows someone who identifies LGBTQ, as humans who have compassion for others we need to be kind and loving.  It is up to us to make sure the prejudice and marginalization end.  It is up to us to make sure that the Pulse never happens again and Stonewall doesn’t need to.

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