Before Stonewall: Philadelphia’s Role in the Birth of LGBTQ+ Protest
Philadelphia was home to The Annual Reminder - some of the first organized LGBTQ+ protests in the U.S., held every July 4th from 1965 to 1969 at Independence Hall
Written By: Jocelyn Hockaday
Photo by Nito from Adobe Stock.
On June 28, 1969, a six-day confrontation between police and LGBTQ+ protesters erupted outside the Stonewall Inn in New York City. Known as the Stonewall Uprising, it marked a turning point in LGBTQ+ activism in the United States.
Before Stonewall, LGBTQ+ protests were already underway. From 1965 to 1969, Philadelphia hosted the Annual Reminders at Independence Hall, organized by early activists including Frank Kameny, Barbara Gittings, and the Eastern Regional Conference of Homophile Organizations (E.R.C.H.O.). Activists from cities like Washington, D.C. and New York City also participated in this annual demonstration.
The Annual Reminders were organized to call attention to the lack of civil rights protections for LGBTQ people—especially the gap between the promises of the Declaration of Independence and the lived realities of queer Americans. These demonstrations, in which participants wore “normalcy drag” to appear respectable, highlighted the absence of legal rights for LGBTQ+ individuals and laid the groundwork for more radical resistance.
Stonewall, by contrast, was sparked by years of ongoing police harassment. The Stonewall Inn, one of NYC’s most popular gay bars, was mafia-owned (as were many gay establishments at the time) and frequently raided. That week alone, it had already been targeted once. As COME OUT reported in 1969, “in the last three weeks, five gay bars in the Village that I know of have been hit by the police.”
In the wake of Stonewall, the LGBTQ+ movement rapidly mobilized. In 1970, the first Pride march took place in New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago, according to the Library Of Congress: The History of Pride. In 1978, Gilbert Baker designed the original rainbow flag. Then in 1999, President Bill Clinton declared June “Gay and Lesbian Pride Month,” expanded in 2009 by President Barack Obama to honor the full LGBTQ+ community.
In 2017, Philadelphia made history again with the “More Color More Pride” flag, adding Black and Brown stripes to recognize LGBTQ+ people of color—calling for greater inclusion and racial equity within the movement itself.
While pride and visibility have grown, the fight for equality continues—especially for people of color, gender non-conforming individuals, and trans communities, who were always on the front lines but often erased from the narrative. These communities never had the privilege of hiding their identities.
Stonewall and the Annual Reminders stand as powerful testaments to the bravery of those who demanded visibility when it was most dangerous.
Celebrate Pride in Philadelphia all month long—with free and low-cost events across the city. Follow The Hockaday Impact for Pride Month coverage. Happy Pride!
Stay tuned with The Hockaday Impact for coverage of Pride month events throughout June. Happy Pride!
