LGBTQ+ History: The First Pride 

I’m going to write this and pin it here so you can read it before writing your comment: “Marsha wasn’t there that night, she wasn’t even there until 2am” - I said really early that morning. She arrived at 2am. She was there. I never said she was the one who started the riot. I said she was AMONST the first to retaliate, and that she was a prominent leader within the community during this time. Which was true. Same for Sylvia Rivera. I never said she was the first to do anything. I said she was AMONGST the first. I said “as the STORY goes, Marsha threw the brick that broke the stonewall glass or mirror behind the bar”. Throughout this video I am specifying that there are many details that are vague or unclear - as even the stories told by the stonewall veterans tend to change from person to person. So I’m doing my best to give you an overall picture, and specifying that this is what is commonly told as STORY. I start by saying the events took place EARLY THAT MORNING, but I refer to it as a night later on, because it IS still night. Tonight when you’re binge watching Netflix until 2am - will you not consider that part of your night? The events took place in early morning, Marsha arrived around 2am - it’s still part of the same night. She WAS there that night. I never glorify the stonewall inn. In fact, i mention that it was amongst OTHER bars and clubs, and that queer folk tended to gather there because of the anti gay legal system in place, making it hard for them to be allowed anywhere. You don’t need to tell me that it was a seedy mafia bar - I am aware and nowhere in my video did I say otherwise. I also went in to discuss the activism that came AFTER stonewall, and the discrimination that Marsha and Sylvia faced from their own community at the first pride, despite their activism. We don’t have formal history books for lgbtqia people. We have stories that we tell and retell to keep them alive. And again, unfortunately sometimes the stories of one veteran don’t align with the stories of another. Clinging to details like this is NOT the point. Retelling this story is about more than “but did she throw a brick, or a stone, or a shot glass?” - because yes it’s unclear what was thrown or exactly if it was the FIRST object thrown or not. The details in my video are consistent with the stories told by the veterans in the NYT video. I do my best to keep many details vague (ex: AMONGST the first. It MAY HAVE BEEN a butch lesbian who was dragged out, but that story also varies. It was the EARLY MORNING HOURS, etc) - as again, the witness stories have some inconsistencies aswell. That NYT video blew the inconsistencies out of proportion and their title implies that stonewall never actually happened and was a myth. I see folks now clinging to these details and automatically assuming that the information here is incorrect, because unless your title is “here’s the REAL stonewall” - you must be mistaken. The stonewall they portrayed is almost literally the exact same story that’s commonly told, more or less some details. Like it really isn’t that far off - really stop to think about it. And THIS specific video, my video, is really consistent with theirs - because again I KEEP THE DETAILS VAGUE, and specify that some of these are unclear but are commonly told as STORY. Please stop commenting the same thing over and over and listen more closely to what I’m saying. This isn’t about the tiny details or how run down stonewall was or exactly which object at which hour was thrown in which order compared to the others. Marsha p Johnson and Sylvia Rivera were leaders in our community, and dedicated their lives to it. Despite their activism and dedication, they were asked not to march at the first pride. Learn from this lesson, honour these people who fought for our rights. That’s it.

Marsha "Pay it no mind" Johnson and Sylvia Rivera should get memorials everywhere and be topics in schools.

And one more thing before I go! Sorry I'm an LGBTQ history nerd. One of the things about the Stonewall Inn being raided for not having an alcohol license that made it even more insidious was that gay and trans people were not allowed in bars that had alcohol licenses, so they were pushed into bars like the Stonewall that were run by the mafia, and then their lack of Alcohol license was used as an excuse to raid the bar and arrest gay people for being gay or trans people for "cross dressing". Just a tid bit I thought I'd add on.

This needs more views, likes, and shares! People need to know about how everything started, and the people who made it possible to express who we are today. ❤🧡💛💚💙💜

THIS👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼 I see so much gatekeeping within the community and I'm like 🙃 OVER IT

There is a wonderful documentary about Marsha P. Johnson on Netflix called "The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson" that shows how much hard, amazing work she did in her far too short lifetime. I highly recommend it.

Wasn't Stonewall bribing the cops not to raid them, too, but they raided anyway? :(

Another thing relating to what you said at the end of the video-if there's one thing stonewall taught us it's that conformism and fighting for the most normative people first does not work. Before stonewall, there was the matachine society, a homophile organization that peacefully tried to convince the public that gay people were just like straight people. Their activism was important, but it wasn't until stonewall, an uprising which included the most vulnerable and out there people in the community that the gay liberation movement got any momentum. If you want to learn more about activism pre stonewall, go see my friend John's movie called before stonewall. It was originally released in the 80s but it's being re released in theaters again around the country for the 50th anniversary. www.firstrunfeatures.com/beforestonewall_playdates.html?fbclid=IwAR2c_Dp1r73YDf-jaABWq22t83iEa9wp3nHLlohabU4Khq-z8zN556507u8

It’s lovely to see someone talking about lgbtq+ history. It would be really wonderful if you could possibly do a video about the NiizhManidoowag/Two Spirit community. A lot of people don’t understand the term “two spirit”. If you could use your amazing platform to talk about this very important, indigenous part of the lgbtq+ community. I would be truthful thankful. If you could even get a guest who identifies as two spirit that would be awesome. Let’s be honest pride is much more directed to caucasian, cisgender members of the lgbtq+.

Thanks so much! My college history professor said that stonewall was only about Gay men and I was like.... um. No!

I agree that the different parts of the community sometimes point to others they view as 'extreme' and say that 'they make us all look bad'. I feel like members of the LGBTQ+ community should know better, seeing what we all have to deal with. We all have someone pointing at us saying we're the problem, don't pass that on to another group of people. I'm a binary trans man and although it can be extremely frustrating that people use the low hanging fruit of the trans community against me in arguments, I know that the problem is not the non binary/gender fluid/ gender queer people in the community, but the people arguing against the whole because more 'extreme' cases. I make sure to be inclusive of other trans people and in my own videos (educational videos for writers about transgender people) I make sure to include them as well as I can manage. I don't know an awful lot about LGBT history so I appreciate these videos. I hope you'll also cover non US events in future videos. :)

wise words, man. thank you for talking about this

I’ve been hearing rumors saying it was confirmed that Marsha did not identify as a trans woman and that she wasn’t even at stonewall that night, is this true?

7:47 THIS. People really need to understand that whether or not you can understand what it's like to identify as a certain thing doesn't need to have ANY impact on your ability to accept that identity. You don't need to understand to accept.

Thanks for the video Aaron!!!!

I really get tired of the segregation between everyone, particularly since 2016 referendum...black, mixed race, brown, yellow, white, LGBT, trans, homosexuals, heterosexuals, vegans, vegetarians, meat eaters and anything else, we have suffered enough...we are just human beings. Isn't it time we put all this unequal treatment to bed and become one. Have one type of crossing, restaurant, bar, clothing, etc for everyone. Its ok if crossings are rainbow coloured but make ALL the same type. My tenant is trans and I cry for some of the things he has to go through to be himself. He was even beaten up for standing at the bus stop at end of our road. All he was doing was waiting for a bus whilst dressed up as a beautiful woman! What is this all about...this is 2019 for God's sake...we mixed race people suffer because we are neither white nor black, LGBT people suffer because they want to be comfortable in their skin. Time to stop all the discrimination...we are one! I LOVE YOU AND I LOVE ME! That is all we each got to remember...stop the segregation.

I wish more people knew that bit about Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera because it really feels like the trans community is torn apart by gatekeeping. I’m nonbinary and genderfluid and when I see caricatures about what these people think of nonbinary and gnc people it makes me feel like I’m just as safe among some trans people as I would be among cis people and it sucks. On a more positive note, I love your videos :)

Thank you for this video! Very informative and clear. Also, you have a nice calming voice

i just filmed a coming out video for this month. so glad to see you again, love this content!!

Thank you for making this video :) its a great reminder of what prides really all about! ❤💛💚💙💜

YOU'RE DOING THE LORD'S WORD, SWEETIE ❤🧡💛💚💙💜

Wow. As usual, fire af. Aaron, there were so many poignant statements in here. Amazing video. I agree with everything you stated. Thanks for the history, and thanks for articulating your takeaway. You are the bomb, man.

I got a sperm banking ad...lmfao!!

yay an accurate video about stonewall!!

I'm absolutely on your side with everything you said in this video. I'd like to have your opinion on something. What about all the BDSM stuff? Here in Vienna we have huge pride festivities and street festivals the week before pride. There are people running around with penis cages and dog masks. I really respect everyone and it's great that people feel safe enough to do that in the streets. I still don't get what it has to do with fundamental lgbt* rights and the visibility of lgbt* individuals. I guess it's about sexual freedom too and I really respect that. I just don't fully understand. What do you think?

I love you Aaron this was an incredible video I thing impulsivity is important in the lgbtqia+/grsm (gender romantic and sexual minorities) community

I'm really glad you did this video. For some reason, this year more than others I really want people to pay attention to our history, to remember it, and learn from it. We can't be making the same mistakes 50 years later.

I am so thankful for you and your videos.

Thank you for making this video! I loved the part at the end when you mentioned that people in the LGBTQ+ community should stick together rather than split up.

Thank you for talking about this!

Thank you so much for making this video, Aaron. It is so important to remember our roots, for they are the reason we are where we are today. I will share this video!

it's interesting to see this because I just watched a New York Times video about how Stonewall started, which had a different story to yours. I honestly don't know whose is true but I'd be interested to find out which one is more accurate.

Thanks a lot for these video's, I want to learn more about our history but I don't have a long concentration span and I never know where to start. So this is great because they're short and easy to understand video's!

You are absolutely right, teaching history should include these amazing people!

This was so informative and interesting. As a young gay, I don’t really have a chance to learn about this stuff and this was really cool

I recently watched a documentary on tv about stonewall and was blown away! How is this not part of the history that is taught in schools?

Everything in US & Canada excludes Quebec. Including Pride timetables apparently :P

Yeesss!!! Gate keeping sucks! I’m a non binary asexual panromantic person so I get gate keeping of so many forms. We should just love the lgbt community as a whole, and it should not matter what your gender or sexual/romantic attraction is.

WOW, thank you for the education

Great video! Great to know more about the origins of pride!

Very late to the punch; always discovering new channels. As a well-meaning cis idiot that's at most .4 Kinsey: could have been streamlined a bit better, but still properly emotional and succinct where necessary. Here's hoping you're still doing fine; here's hoping people don't forget this material and how much crap we STILL have to deal with. Also: kin to your point of "stick to the back or don't come at all; you're making us look bad", similar issue with early mainstream feminist movements and including nonwhite women or poor women.

Well said!!

SO MUCH YES

Would be really cool if you discussed the first Mardi Gras in Sydney

I got an ad! *squee* (is this the long game for RU-vid? Demonitise people until we are so hyped to get an ad on our favourite RU-vidrs that we'll click on it?) I got both monday.com and viaplay.se before your video started. I don't dare skip!

Amen

I don’t understand why it’s LGBTQ. It groups gender and sexuality together. They are two completely different things.

Nice

Thank you for posting it my fellow neurodivergent lgbt friend :3

As someone who is genderqueer, trans-masculine I see a lot of community having issues still with those under the non-binary umbrella calling themselves trans. It sucks. I still see people having issues with those who are Bisexual! The LGBTQIA+ community is still rife with in-fighting( cant find a better word for it), and it's horrible. We're a group founded on the principals of love and acceptance of people no matter their identity. We shouldn't be sitting here and making the sacrifices of all those who came before us worthless.

This was a nice video thank you!! A podcast called Queer as Fact is a great queer history podcast and they just made a really cool + detailed episode about Stonewall, if anyone wants to check it out :)

Very informative video! but please do not forget to mention trans and or gay black and brown SEX WORKERS. :)

Straight Pride coming up in Boston. All straight allies welcome! Let's be inclusive, tolerant, and diverse!

slowly but surely start to srate parents dismantling community

Boy...keep that T is our family (LGBTQ+)

FIRST

They weren't transgender women though.

Marsha a gay man who liked wearing frocks... Not trans

lgbt, not lgbtqia+