Prior to the turn of the millennium, loving someone of the same sex or gender was considered a criminal offense. In fact, homosexuality was considered a mental illness by the American Psychiatric Association until December, 1973 (and continued to be a "disturbance" until the late 80s). Police raids were common, and many LGBTQ people were forced to keep their relationships a secret. This meant "social meetings" at a member's house, or visiting the civic center to "support community events", and sometimes people were lucky enough to have a local bar or restaurant that looked the other way. The Stonewall Inn was one of these places.
In the early hours of June 26, 1969, a New York City deputy and six other police officers raided the Stonewall Inn. When police began to use force, patrons and neighbors of the Stonewall Inn fought back in a series of violent incidents and aggressive demonstrations. These riots, known collectively as the Stonewall Uprising, are widely considered the turning-point of the modern United States gay liberation movement.
A year later, the first gay pride events were organized in honor of the Stonewall Uprising. Marches, parades, "sip-ins", and demonstrations were held June 27 and 28, 1970. Activists and community members have continued the tradition ever since. Today, pride parades are an international event, usually celebrated during the last week of June (known as Pride Days).
Gainesville held its first pride event in 1992 with the "Lesbian and Gay Pride Week picnic". The picnic was held in Westside Park on Sunday, June 28, and met with harsh backlash -- members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) protested, and tensions rose between attendees and klansmen. The Gainesville Police Department sent officers to stand between the opposing groups. In a twist surprise, singer Tom Petty and his wife happened to be visiting on vacation, and they came to the picnic to support Gainesville's gay community. Thankfully, Gainesville's Pride Picnic didn't end with riots, and the event became an annual occurrence.
Gainesville's Pride Picnic was eventually moved to October and given the name "Pride Days". The event is coordinated by the Pride Community Center of North Central Florida (PCCNCF), better known as the Gainesville Pride Center. Movie viewings, award dinners, brunches, and parades all take place during the last week of October. The Pride Festivals in 2020 and 2021 were canceled out of caution for the community's health but, as Florida continues to be one of the most restrictive states for LGBTQ rights, the community hopes to renew Pride efforts in 2022 and 2023.
Want to know more about Pride's history? Use our online research databases to gain access to thousands of news articles, academic journals, archived documents, and more:
- America's News by Newsbank
- The Florida Electronic Library (FEL)
- The Gainesville Sun Collection by Newsbank
- Gale in Context: Biography
- MasterFILE Premier
You can also find more information about the history of pride in our catalog. Search for keywords like "gay pride", "stonewall", or "LGBT history", or check out some of our recommendations below:
- Children
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- The Stonewall Riots: Coming Out in the Streets by Gayle E. Pitman
- What Was Stonewall? by Nico Medina
- Sylvia and Marsha Start a Revolution!: the Story of the Trans Women of Color Who Made LGBTQ+ History by Joy Michael Ellison
- The Stonewall Riots: Making a Stand For LGBTQ Rights by Archie Bongiovanni
- Be Amazing: a History of Pride by Desmond Napoles
- Stonewall: a Building. An Uprising. A Revolution. by Rob Sanders
- Twas the Night Before Pride by Joanna Mcclintick (also available as a DVD)
- Young Adult
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- The Stonewall Riots: the Fight For LGBT Rights by Tristan Poehlmann
- Pride: Celebrating Diversity & Community by Robin Stevenson
- Stonewall: Breaking Out in the Fight For Gay Rights by Ann Bausum
- Pride: the Celebration and the Struggle by Robin Stevenson
- Rainbow Revolutions: Power, Pride, and Protest in the Fight For Queer Rights by Jamie Lawson
- The Gay Liberation Movement: Before and After Stonewall by Sean Heather K. McGraw
- Adult
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- Pride: Fifty Years of Parades and Protests From the Photo Archives of The New York Times
- The Stonewall Reader: Edited by the New York Public Library
- Pride - the LGBTQ+ Rights Movement: a Photographic Journey by Christopher Measom
- The Stonewall Riots: a Documentary History by Marc Stein
- Before (and) After Stonewall the Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community [2010]
- Stonewall Uprising [2011]
With great appreciation for the LGBTQ pioneers that came before us, and in solidarity with those who continue the fight for LGBTQ rights -- Happy Pride, everyone!
