The Love That Dare (Not)

By Emma Matzen

When people think of the Gay Rights Movement they think of the Stonewall Riots of 1969. However, they don’t always consider the events that led up to the riots. The Stonewall Inn was one of many gay clubs that was frequently raided by police who would arrest patrons and employees. The primary reason for these raids was that engaging in “homosexual behavior” in public was still illegal at the time – though many of these bars operated without liquor licenses due to being Mafia-owned. It was primarily due to prejudice against homosexuality that these raids occurred. The riots lasted from June 28 until July 3.

A month following Stonewall, hundreds of LGBTQ+ people, armed with lavender sashes and armbands, took to marching the streets of New York city. Lavender came to symbolize empowerment from its history of being associated with homosexuality as early as the 19th century. The same year, a homophobic leader of the feminist