Although the June 28, 1969 Stonewall riots

Stonewall riots

The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City...

 are generally considered the starting point of the modern gay liberation

Gay Liberation

Gay liberation is the name used to describe the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender movement of the late 1960s and early to mid 1970s in North America, Western Europe, and Australia and New Zealand...

 movement, a number of demonstrations and actions took place before that date. These actions, often organized by local homophile

Homophile

The word homophile is an alternative to the word for homosexual or gay. The homophile movement also refers to the gay rights movement of the 1950s and '60s....

 organizations but sometimes spontaneous, addressed concerns ranging from anti-gay discrimination in employment and public accommodations to the exclusion of homosexuals from the United States military to police harassment to the treatment of homosexuals in revolutionary Cuba. The early actions have been credited with preparing the LGBT community for Stonewall and contributing to the riot's symbolic power.

A favorite technique of early activists was the picket line, especially for those actions organized by Eastern affiliates of such groups as the Mattachine Society

Mattachine Society

The Mattachine Society, founded in 1950, was one of the earliest homophile organizations in the United States, probably second only to Chicago’s Society for Human Rights . Harry Hay and a group of Los Angeles male friends formed the group to protect and improve the rights of homosexuals...

 chapters out of New York City and Washington, D.C., Philadelphia's Janus Society

Janus Society

The Janus Society was an early homophile organization based in Philadelphia. It is notable as the publisher of DRUM magazine, one of the earliest LGBT-interest publications in the United States, and for its role in organizing many of the nation's earliest LGBT rights demonstrations.-Drum:Drum was...

 and the New York chapter of Daughters of Bilitis

Daughters of Bilitis

The Daughters of Bilitis , was the first lesbian rights organization in the United States. It was formed in San Francisco in 1955, conceived as a social alternative to lesbian bars, which were considered illegal and thus subject to raids and police harassment...

, These groups acted under the collective name East Coast Homophile Organizations (ECHO). Organized pickets tended to be in large urban population centers because these centers were where the largest concentration of homophile activists were located. Picketers at ECHO-organized events were required to follow strict dress codes. Men had to wear ties, preferably with a jacket. Women were required to wear skirts. The dress code was imposed by Mattachine Society Washington founder Frank Kameny, with the goal of portraying homosexuals as "presentable and 'employable'". Many of the participants in these early actions went on to become deeply involved in the gay liberation movement.

Actions

Date	Location	Reason	Description
		To protest police harassment	LGBT people clashed with police at Cooper's Donuts, a hang-out for drag queens and street hustlers Male prostitution Male prostitution is the practice of engaging in sexual acts for money. Compared to female sex workers, male sex workers have been far less studied by researchers, and while studies suggest that there are differences between the ways these two groups look at their work, more research is needed.Male...  who were frequently harassed by the Los Angeles Police Department Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...  (LAPD). Police arrested three people, including John Rechy John Rechy John Francis Rechy, , is an American author, the child of a half-Scottish and half-Mexican father, Roberto Rechy, and a Mexican-American mother, Guadalupe Flores. In his novels he has written extensively about homosexual culture in Los Angeles and wider America, and is among the pioneers of modern... , but other patrons began pelting the police with donuts and coffee cups. The LAPD called for back-up and arrested a number of rioters. Rechy and the other two original detainees were able to escape.
		To protest the US military's treatment of gay people	Organized by activist Randy Wicker Randy Wicker Randolfe Hayden "Randy" Wicker is an American author, activist and blogger. After involvement in the early homophile and gay liberation movements, Wicker became active around the issue of human cloning.... , a small group picketed the Whitehall Street Induction Center after the confidentiality of gay men's draft Selective Service System The Selective Service System is a means by which the United States government maintains information on those potentially subject to military conscription. Most male U.S. citizens and male immigrant non-citizens between the ages of 18 and 25 are required by law to have registered within 30 days of...  records was violated. This action has been identified as the first gay rights demonstration in the United States.
		To protest the disease model of homosexuality	Four gay men and lesbians picketed a lecture by a psychoanalyst espousing the model of homosexuality as a mental illness. The demonstrators were given ten minutes to make a rebuttal.
		To protest police action	The Council on Religion and the Homosexual Council on Religion and the Homosexual The Council on Religion and the Homosexual was a San Francisco-based organization founded in 1964 for the purpose of joining homosexual activists and religious leaders.-Formation:...  held a costume party at California Hall on Polk Street in San Francisco to raise money for the new organization. When the ministers informed the San Francisco Police Department San Francisco Police Department The San Francisco Police Department, also known as the SFPD and San Francisco Department Of Police, is the police department of the City and County of San Francisco, California...  of the event, the SFPD attempted to force the rented hall's owners to cancel it. At the event itself, some of the ministers and ticket takers were arrested, creating a brief riot.
		To protest Cuba and the United States' policies on homosexuality	Homophile activists picketed the White House White House The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...  on April 17 and the United Nations United Nations The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...  on the 18th after learning that Cuba was placing homosexuals in forced labor camps.
		To protest a restaurant's gay-exclusionary service policy	An estimated 150 people participated in a sit-in Sit-in A sit-in or sit-down is a form of protest that involves occupying seats or sitting down on the floor of an establishment.-Process:In a sit-in, protesters remain until they are evicted, usually by force, or arrested, or until their requests have been met...  when the manager of Dewey's restaurant refused service to several people he thought looked gay. Four people were arrested, including homophile rights leader Clark Polak Clark Polak Clark Philip Polak was an American journalist and gay rights activist. He was known for creating and editing DRUM magazine , an early gay-interest periodical, and for his leadership role with the Philadelphia-based homophile organization, the Janus Society.Polak killed himself in Los Angeles in...  of Philadelphia's Janus Society Janus Society The Janus Society was an early homophile organization based in Philadelphia. It is notable as the publisher of DRUM magazine, one of the earliest LGBT-interest publications in the United States, and for its role in organizing many of the nation's earliest LGBT rights demonstrations.-Drum:Drum was... . All four were convicted of disorderly conduct Disorderly conduct Disorderly conduct is a criminal charge in most jurisdictions in the United States. Typically, disorderly conduct makes it a crime to be drunk in public, to "disturb the peace", or to loiter in certain areas. Many types of unruly conduct may fit the definition of disorderly conduct, as such... . Members of the society also leafleted outside the restaurant the following week and negotiated with the owners to bring an end to the denial of service. Three people staged another sit-in on May 5, occupying a table for a few hours.
		In support of gay rights	Organized by ECHO, seven men and three women picketed the White House. The first of a series of pickets held throughout the summer, which also targeted the Civil Service Commission United States Civil Service Commission The United States Civil Service Commission a three man commission was created by the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, which was passed into law on January 16, 1883... , the State Department United States Department of State The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...  and The Pentagon The Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect... .
		General informational picket	Organized by ECHO, demonstrators picketed at Independence Hall. Picketers returned each year through 1969 for what came to be known as the Annual Reminder Annual Reminder The Annual Reminders were a series of early pickets organized by homophile organizations. The Reminder took place each July 4 at Independence Hall in Philadelphia beginning in 1965 and were among the earliest LGBT demonstrations in the United States... .
		In support of a pro-gay clergyman	Thirty people picketed Grace Cathedral to protest punitive actions taken against Rev. Canon Robert Cromey for his involvement in the Council on Religion and the Homosexual Council on Religion and the Homosexual The Council on Religion and the Homosexual was a San Francisco-based organization founded in 1964 for the purpose of joining homosexual activists and religious leaders.-Formation:... , an alliance between LGBT people and religious leaders.
		In support of gay rights	The last White House picket. Demonstrators felt, with this event, that picketing the White House had lost its effectiveness as a tactic.
		To challenge the state's prohibition against serving alcohol to known homosexuals	Activists Dick Leitsch, Craig Rodwell Craig Rodwell Craig L. Rodwell was an American gay rights activist known for founding the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop on November 24, 1967, the first bookstore devoted to gay and lesbian authors and as the prime mover for the creation of the New York City pride demonstration...  and John Timmons were seeking a test case Test case (law) In case law, a test case is a legal action whose purpose is to set a precedent. An example of a test case might be a legal entity who files a lawsuit in order to see if the court considers a certain law or a certain legal precedent applicable in specific circumstances...  to challenge New York's regulation barring known homosexuals from being served alcohol in bars and restaurants. They invited reporters to follow them as they sought a refusal of service. After being served in several bars despite announcing their homosexuality, the group was finally refused service at Julius Julius (New York City) Julius is a tavern in the New York City Greenwich Village neighborhood. It is often called the oldest continuously operating gay bar in New York; however, its management was actively unwilling to operate as such and harassed gay customers until 1966... , a gay bar that had been raided previously. Although Leitsch's complaint to the State Liquor Authority resulted in no action, the city's human rights commission declared that such discrimination could not continue.
		To protest the exclusion of homosexuals from the United States armed forces	A coalition of homophile organizations across the country organized simultaneous demonstrations for Armed Forces Day Armed Forces Day Several nations of the world hold an annual Armed Forces Day in honor of their military forces. - Armenia :Բանակի օր is celebrated on 28 January to commemorate the formation of the armed forces of the newly independent Republic of Armenia in 1992.... . The Los Angeles group held a 15-car motorcade Motorcade A motorcade is a procession of vehicles. The term motorcade was coined by Lyle Abbot , and is formed after cavalcade on the false notion that "-cade" was a suffix meaning "procession"...  (which has been identified as the nation's first gay pride parade Gay pride parade Pride parades for the LGBT community are events celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender culture. The events also at times serve as demonstrations for legal rights such as same-sex marriage... ) and activists held pickets in the other cities. The protest grew out of the first meeting of the organization that would become the North American Conference of Homophile Organizations North American Conference of Homophile Organizations The North American Conference of Homophile Organizations was an umbrella organization for a number of homophile organizations. Founded in 1966, the goal of NACHO was to expand coordination among homophile organizations throughout the Americas. Homophile activists were motivated in part by an... .
		To protest a restaurant's harassment and denial of service	Around 25 people picketed Compton's Cafeteria when new management began using Pinkerton Pinkerton National Detective Agency The Pinkerton National Detective Agency, usually shortened to the Pinkertons, is a private U.S. security guard and detective agency established by Allan Pinkerton in 1850. Pinkerton became famous when he claimed to have foiled a plot to assassinate president-elect Abraham Lincoln, who later hired...  agents and police to harass gay and transgender customers.
		To protest continued harassment	Gay and transgender customers rioted at Compton's Compton's cafeteria riot The Compton's Cafeteria Riot occurred in August 1966 in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco. This incident was one of the first recorded transgender riots in United States history, preceding the more famous 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City.A smaller-scale riot broke out in 1959 in Los...  in response to continued police harassment. The restaurant and the surrounding neighborhood sustained heavy damage. The following night demonstrators threw up another picket line, which quickly descended into new violence and damage to the restaurant.
		To protest being ignored by the press	The Chicago chapter of the Mattachine Society picketed the Chicago Tribune Chicago Tribune The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is... and the Chicago Sun-Times Chicago Sun-Times The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city... for routinely ignoring press material and refusing advertising from the organization. Sun-Times columnist Irv Kupcinet Irv Kupcinet Irv Kupcinet was an American newspaper columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times and a broadcast personality based in Chicago, Illinois...  mentioned the pickets in his column but neglected to mention that his paper was one of the targets. The Tribune gave the event no coverage.
		To protest police raids on gay bars	The LAPD raided the New Year's Eve parties at two gay bars, the Black Cat Tavern Black Cat Tavern The Black Cat Tavern was an LGBT bar formerly located at 3909 W. Sunset Blvd. in the Silverlake section of Los Angeles, California.-History:The bar was established in November of 1966. Two months later, on the night of New Year's 1967, several plain-clothes police officers infiltrated the Black Cat...  and New Faces. Several patrons were injured and a bartender was hospitalized with a fractured skull. Several hundred people spontaneously demonstrated on Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades...  and picketed outside the Black Cat.
		In solidarity with other minority groups in the city	Organized by the owner of gay bar Pandora's Box and built on the Black Cat protests of weeks earlier, about 200 LGBT people watched as around 40 picketers demonstrated in front of the Black Cat in coordination with hippies and other counterculture Counterculture of the 1960s The counterculture of the 1960s refers to a cultural movement that mainly developed in the United States and spread throughout much of the western world between 1960 and 1973. The movement gained momentum during the U.S. government's extensive military intervention in Vietnam...  groups who had been targeted by police for harassment and violence.
		To protest entrapment Entrapment In criminal law, entrapment is conduct by a law enforcement agent inducing a person to commit an offense that the person would otherwise have been unlikely to commit. In many jurisdictions, entrapment is a possible defense against criminal liability...  and harassment by the LAPD	Two drag queen Drag queen A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and... s known as "The Princess" and "The Duchess" held a St. Patrick's Day party at Griffith Park Griffith Park Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America... , a popular cruising Cruising for sex Cruising for sex, or cruising is the act of walking or driving about a locality in search of a sex partner, usually of the anonymous, casual, one-time variety...  spot and a frequent target of police activity. More than 200 gay men socialized through the day.
		To protest the classification of homosexuality as a mental illness	The Student Homophile League of Columbia University picketed and disrupted a panel of psychiatrists discussing homosexuality.
		General gathering	Homophile groups organized a "gay-in" in Griffith Park.
		To protest a police raid on The Patch The Patch (bar) The Patch was a LGBT bar formerly located in the Los Angeles suburb of Wilmington, California. The Patch, along with the Black Cat Tavern, played a pivotal role in the gay rights movement, when, in August 1968, it was one of the first sites where there was open resistance to the constant police... , a gay bar	Following the arrest of two patrons, The Patch owner Lee Glaze organized the other patrons to move on the police station. After buying out a nearby flower shop, the demonstrators caravanned to the station, festooned it with the flowers and bailed out the arrested men.
		To protest the firing of a gay activist	When gay activist and journalist Gale Whittington was fired by the States Steamship Company after coming out Coming out Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....  in print, a small group of activists operating under the name "Committee for Homosexual Freedom" (CHF) picketed the company's San Francisco offices every workday between noon and 1:00 for several weeks.
		To protest the firing of an employee suspected of being gay	Tower Records Tower Records Tower Records was a retail music chain that was based in Sacramento, California. It currently exists as an international franchise and an online music store....  fired Frank Denaro, believing him to be gay. The Committee for Homosexual Freedom picketed the store for several weeks until Denaro was reinstated. The CHF ran similar pickets of Safeway Safeway Inc. Safeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's second largest supermarket chain after The Kroger Co., with, as of December 2010, 1,694 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern...  stores, Macy's Macy's Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...  and the Federal Building San Francisco Federal Building The San Francisco Federal Building is a building designed by the architectural firm Morphosis. It is located at 90 7th Street on the corner of Mission and 7th Streets in South of Market, San Francisco, as a replacement for the previous building at 450 Golden Gate Avenue... .

External links

• Resources on Regional Homophile/LGBT Organizations in the 1960s
• Political correspondence from the papers of Frank Kameny