Sam, thanks for promoting greater awareness of the Stonewall Uprising, and for urging us to remember our history.

Some of the popular media versions of Stonewall make it sound like this was the first time that LGBTQ+ people stood up for themselves, that it happened out of the blue. But Stonewall built on previous struggles and victories, which also deserve recognition.

One of these was the police raid on California Hall, San Francisco, more than four years before Stonewall. The subsequent court cases made national news, and it was the first time that the ACLU stepped in to fight for gay rights. Perhaps surprisingly, in our current politicized times, it was local religious leaders who were some of the most vocal and ardent supporters of the gay community.

A powerful and evocative documentary was made about this a few years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsAZGyDTSEI