During an inauguration speech that focused on themes of equality, President Obama made a reference to the “Stonewall Inn riots of 1969”, equating them with watershed moments in the equal-rights struggles of blacks and women.
Obama compared Stonewall to:
- Seneca Falls - home to the first women's rights convention in 1848
- Selma - the Alabama town where civil-rights supporters were beaten in 1965 during voting-rights marches.
The Stonewall Inn riots of 1969 in Greenwich Village, New York, is seen by many as the beginning of the LGBT movement in this country, some even call it the 'Rosa Parks moment' for gays.
But what exactly happened there?
Listen to Bill's segment about the Stonewall Inn riots.
