SAN DIEGO — San Diego Remembers will commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots – the event that started the modern gay civil rights movement – with a celebration Friday, June 28, 7 p.m., at Babycakes in San Diego. The entire community is invited to the celebration to toast the civil rights gains that have occurred in the 44 years that have passed since the riots, and reflect on the work that still needs to be done in the community’s fight for equality.
Gays and lesbians in the United States saw a very different world in the late 1960’s. Most lived their lives in silence, and were not welcome in most facets of society. Bars were some of the few safe places for gay and lesbian people, even though many of these establishments were regularly raided by police. The Stonewall Riots took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn, a bar in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City, and were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations in which LGBT people fought back against the police harassment.
San Diego Remembers wants to mark this important moment in LGBT history while educating community members about its significance. The organization was founded in 2008 to mark the 10 years that had passed since Matthew Shepard’s death as a result of a brutal anti-gay hate crime. Since then, San Diego Remembers has expanded its focus to commemorate other notable milestones in LGBT history.
The event will include a hosted champagne bar sponsored by Autumn Houston Salon, a toast, music, treats, and a chance for community members to come together and learn more about its past. While the Stonewall Riots took place in New York, they had a national, if not international impact, on activists in cities around the country, including San Diego. Photos and materials from the time of the riots will be on display. Admission is free, however donations will be collected to benefit the programs of San Diego Remembers.
Babycakes is located at 3766 Fifth Ave. in Hillcrest.
For more information visit sandiegoremembers.com or all 619-316-9197.
