It built on the foundation laid in the 1950s and 1960s by gay organizations such as the Mattachine Society, Janus Society, and the Daughters of Bilitis, and it took advantage of the existing political networks of Black Power, New Left, anti-war, women’s liberation, and youth counterculture. The gay liberation movement of the 1970s was part of that explosion. The aftermath of the Stonewall riots saw an explosion in gay movement organization, pride, and political activism. Following media coverage of the event in the mainstream press and gay news outlets, thousands protested and clashed with riot police over the next six days. The raid happened on Saturday, June 28, 1969, in the early morning hours. The violent response of Stonewall Inn’s patrons, as well as subsequent riots and protests, marked a shift in LGBT activism that rippled through the decades following and impacted the gay rights and gay liberation movements in the United States. In the summer of 1969, as part of Mayor John Lindsey’s crackdown on gay bars, New York City police detectives conducted a routine raid on Stonewall Inn.
