Speaking Volumes: Marking the 50th anniversary of the landmark Stonewall riots

Wave your rainbow flags and lace up your marching boots — June 28 marked the 50th anniversary of the landmark Stonewall riots.

For members of the 1969 LGBT+ community, to be invisible was to survive. Undercover cops pretended to be gay to entrap gay men. Police raided gay bars and arrested people wearing less than three gender-appropriate pieces of clothing.

The New York State Liquor authority refused to issue liquor licenses to gay bars, referring to them as “disorderly houses.” Crime families saw this as a business opportunity and set up underground bars to exploit gay patrons, including the popular Stonewall Inn.

Conditions at the Stonewall Inn were abysmal. The bar lacked running water, so bartenders reused dirty glasses to serve bootlegged alcohol. The space was hot and stuffy, with one entrance and no fire exit.

For members of a community rejected by society, however, it was their only available sanctuary.

In the early morning of June 28, 1969, police began a routine raid on the Stonewall Inn.

Rather than comply with police, passersby formed a swelling crowd around the police van. Years of abuse by police and exploitation by the Mafia finally culminated in explosive resistance. As one, a kaleidoscope of voices rose up and asserted, with fire and shattered glass, their right to exist without harassment.

Of the riot, participant Mark Segal remarked, “It was the most joyous riot you’ve ever seen. We were fighting back against 2,000 years of repression. We were finally able to say out loud, ‘I’m gay!’ ”

In the wake of the riots, numerous LGBT+ activist groups organized to fight for change. On their one-year anniversary, the first Pride March was established and continues every June to this day.

The Manatee County Library System offers a variety of LGBT+ resources.

For more information on the Stonewall riots, check out the documentary “Stonewall Uprising.”

For more LGBT+ history, try reading “The Gay Revolution” by Lillian Faderman, which tells the ongoing story of the gay revolution through firsthand accounts.

History buffs will also be interested in the history of LGBT+ military members found in “Conduct Unbecoming” by Randy Shilts, available in e-book format.

“ABC’s of LGBT+” by Ashley Mardell is an excellent resource on LGBT+ gender and sexual identities.

In “Beyond Magenta,” author Susan Kuklin interviews six transgender teens about their gender identities.

In her biography “Being Jazz,” teen activist Jazz Jennings tells about her transgender transition.

Leading gay rights attorney Elizabeth F. Schwartz provides a legal guide to marriage for LGBT+ couples in the book “Before I Do.”

Parents interested in LGBT+ picture books will love “Stella Brings the Family” by Miriam B. Schiffer, about a young girl who brings her two fathers to a class Mother’s Day activity.

“Jacob’s New Dress” by Sarah and Ian Hoffman tells the story of a young boy who loves wearing dresses and must overcome the judgment of his peers.

Call your local branch for more information on available titles.

▪ Central Library — 941-748-5555;

▪ Braden River — 941-727-6079;

▪ Island — 941-778-6341;

▪ Palmetto — 941-722-3333;

▪ Rocky Bluff — 941-723-4821;

▪ South Manatee — 941-755-3892.

You also can access the library via the internet at mymanatee.org/library.

Bethany Stevens is a staff member at the Braden River Library. Speaking Volumes, written by Manatee County Public Library System staff members, is published each Sunday in the Bradenton Herald.