Stonewall riots :-
It all started on June 28, 1969, in the Greenwich Village phase of New York City, when a series of violent clashes began between the police and gay rights activists near the Stonewall Inn which was a gay bar in that area. In those times, Homosexual Relations were not given legal status in New York. This Gay bar in New York, gay men and lesbians socialized with each other and saved themselves from being in the public eye. They viewed Stonewall Inn as an escape from the stereotypical societal norms where they could wear whatever complements their sexuality irrespective of their genders coming in their way of embracing themselves.
The Criminal Statue of New York empowered the police to arrest anyone who was not wearing ‘gender-specific’ attire due to which many people of the LGBTQ community that was present in that bar got arrested. This was not the first time when the LGBTQ were victims of police harassment, but this event acted as a thread that weaved a network that united many people including LGBTQ Activists as well as LGBTQ members. This incident acted as the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Witnessing regular police harassment had provoked people negatively into riots. This became a movement in the United States which acted as a spark of light for the LGBTQ Community in the darkness spread by the suffocating norms worldwide.
The Stonewall Riots fanned the flame of ‘acceptance’ among the LGBTQ community worldwide and gave birth to the gay rights movement worldwide.
Since the 1920s, LGBTQ movements were organized by LGBTQ activists but due to media coverage, this got into the spotlight and the required momentum after the Stonewall Riots which not only created awareness among people at the same time mobilized like-minded people not only from the LGBTQ community but also people supported this cause.
Marching towards Dignified Recognition: –
In 1973, Homosexuality was no longer termed as a mental illness which was not less than any achievement. Our society has always resisted change. With the changing time, the need to address issues like mental health, LGBTQ rights have often been undermined due to the social stigma. In 1987, Barney Frank who was a member of Congress came out as gay and voiced out support in favor of the LGBTQ community. It helped in generating a conversation and generalizing the idea of recognizing LGBTQ as part of society.
In 2009, A New Law came into existence which stated that Crimes motivated gender identity were labeled as hate crimes. The intolerant nature of the LGBTQ community was quite evident from the enacted legislation.
Finally, in 2015, the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriages. Through this step, the LGBTQ community got accepted as a part of the system. Earlier, anyone who belonged to the LGBTQ community was looked down upon. But this legislation changed the dynamics of the legal structure as well as helped in overcoming the stigma attached to the LGBTQ community.
In the Context of India on 6th September 2018, Section 377 of the Indian Penal code which regarded same-sex marriages as a criminal offense, was decriminalized. Thus, it is quite evident from the above-mentioned trail of incidents that Stonewall riots gave rise to a chained reaction that fastened the process of achieving legal equality.
Significance of Pride Parades: –
Pride Parades are a representation of the well-known quote- “United we stand, divided we fall”. This has not only helped in gathering eyeballs to this issue but at the same time, it has also made people understand that they’ll be heard. This Unity has helped many countries to get rid of the toxic venom that was spread across the mindset of the public. These parades have defined the normality in having different sexual orientations. It is of paramount importance to be proud of oneself. Breaking the hashtags trended by society for years and living to the fullest. Pride Parades are ideal opportunities to show that hiding and being scared about one’s identity is not normal anymore. People with different sexual orientations have a right to express their love and emotions without being labeled as “Criminals”.
Need for social introspection: –
An individual realizes with time that his/her sexual preferences are different from those considered normal, the first step is ‘acceptance’. Even after accepting their sexual orientation as a fact of their lives, families fail to accept them and, in many cases, abandon their child. This results in low self-esteem among the people belonging to this community. They tend to question their worth. It becomes suffocating for them to survive in such hardships that are created only because they tend to be different from the ‘normal’. Many people tend to live a ‘normal life’ hiding their sexual preferences to fit in the ‘normal’.
Even after attaining legal equality still, LGBTQ people face challenges and rarely have access to opportunities in various professional fields. Looking at the daily scenarios, it is hardly observed individuals from the LGBTQ communities getting admission to universities or working with companies as an Associate or working as a teaching faculty in any renowned university.
The fight is not yet over for the LGBTQ Communities. Attaining legal equality based on their preference is half the battle won. The other half is still left that includes obtaining social upliftment. Reservations for the members of LGBTQ communities in University Admissions, Government Jobs/exams can be the stepping-stone that would help people from the community to at least get the taste of social upliftment. The Day LGBTQ employees, teachers, fellow students won’t be subject to raised eyebrows anymore and talent/skills will be prevailing over sexuality. On that very day, this long led struggle would come to an end and bear fruitful outcomes in the future for humans.
