"Stonewall riots" article response

The stonewall riots occured on June 27, 1969 at a gay bar called Stonewall Inn. Since 1965, gays and lesbians had been working toward their liberation and fighting for their individual rights. This caused the police to raid gay bars and arrest those inside. At Stonewall, when the police raided, they expected the gays to comply. Instead, the people inside faught against the officers and resisted arrest. This resistance resulted in four policemen injured. When the officers returned the next night, people threw bottles at them shouting, "gay power". I think this was the turning point for the gay and lesbian movement. This even started the gay parade which commemorates the stonewall riots every year to this day. It was a symbol showing that the gays weren't going to be compliant anymore and they were going to do everything they can to get the same, equal rights as everyone else. "The Village Voice newspaper called the events 'a kind of liberation, as the gay brigade emerged from the bars, back rooms, and bedrooms of the Village and became street people.'" When I read this I thought of the day of silence that we have every year at school. Before researching this topic, I didn't really understand the symbolism. After reading about how this event was their "liberation" I understand that this was the moment that they weren't compliant and didn't feel like they had to take all of the discrimination. They were not silent for the first time in history. They didn't feel invisible because they were fighting for rights that should have been given to them a long time ago. This is a sensitive issue for me because I was shocked by how late in history all of this occured. The day of silence is about commemorating how long the gays and lesbians had to stay silent about their individuality. This is upsetting because, to me, democracy is about representing the individual and not just following the majority opinion. It obviously took us a while to figure out how to enforce that.
"Stonewall riots." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 1 Feb. 2010. .