Pride and History

from Mark Segal of Philadelphia Gay News: Each June, a certain feeling comes over me. While Pride is now celebrated at different times around the country and the world, for me it will always be about June - and that first Pride in 1970 in New York City.

Every year, I'm honored to share what it was like to be part of that history. I'll never forget climbing up a light post around 17th Street and looking south, seeing people still streaming out of Christopher Street, nearly ten blocks away. I got chills down my spine - chills I've never felt since. That moment filled me with pride in our community and sparked a lifelong thirst to understand our history.

The first book I ever read on the subject was "The Early Homosexual Rights Movement (1864-1935)" by fellow Gay Liberation Front member John Lauritsen. I was stunned by the dates - like many others, I had no idea there was any movement for LGBTQ+ equality before Stonewall.

That book introduced me to the man who should rightfully be called the father of our movement: Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld. In 1897 - yes, 1897 - he founded the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee in Germany. It was the first organization to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, and it later opened an institute to study sexuality, support the community, and, notably, provide resources for transgender people. Hirschfeld lectured around the world until the Nazis raided his institute and burned its library. He was forced into exile.

Inspired by Hirschfeld's work, Henry Gerber founded the Society for Human Rights in 1922, which received a charter from the state of Illinois in 1924 - making it the first LGBTQ+ organization in the United States.

It wasn't until the 1950s that groups like the Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis emerged. Then came the 1960s, with public demonstrations like the one in Brooklyn, NY, where Craig Rodwell and Randy Wicker picketed an army recruiting station. In Philadelphia, activists protested discrimination at Dewey's restaurant. Disturbances similar to Stonewall occurred in San Francisco and Los Angeles. And starting in 1965, small but powerful July 4 marches took place at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, drawing about 100 brave participants each year.

And then everything changed on the night of June 28, 1969, at a place called Stonewall. From those ashes rose the Gay Liberation Front - the nation's first out, loud, and proud LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, marking a radical break from the past. Within one year, we went from 100 marchers to 15,000 at that first Pride in 1970. Today, millions march around the world.

And this incredible journey all began with Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld.

Mark Segal

Mark Segal is an American journalist. He is the founder and publisher of Philadelphia Gay News and has won numerous journalism awards for his column "Mark My Words," including best column by The National...and a proud participant in that 1969 Stonwall Riot

About the Author

Mark Segal Mark Segal is an American journalist. He is the founder and publisher of Philadelphia Gay News and has won numerous journalism awards for his column "Mark My Words," including best column by The National Newspaper Association, Suburban Newspaper Association and The Society of Professional Journalists.