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The Influence Of The Stonewall Riots

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The Stonewall Riots were violent, spur of the moment protests following the police raid of the Stonewall Inn, a popular meeting place for gay New Yorkers. The year was 1969- Nixon had just been sworn in, and Apollo 11 had landed on the moon barely a week before. It was the tail end of the Civil Rights Movement, but the Gay Rights Movement hadn’t even begun. The Stonewall Riots were pivotal in the creation of the LGBT rights, and their impact can be seen to this day.

Prior to the riots, gay rights were practically nonexistent in America, and the only resources members of the LGBT community had pre-Stonewall were gay founded social clubs, such as Daughters of Bilitis and the Mattachine Society. These organizations mainly focused on activism

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