STREET QUEENS by Stephanie Mei-Ling

In the early morning on June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, one of the few gay clubs in New York City's Greenwich Village. Tired of constant police harassment, the bar patrons decided to take a stand, which resulted in violent confrontations with law enforcement and demonstrations for the days following. Marsha P. Johnson, a Black trans woman, along with her friend Sylvia Rivera, another transgender woman of color, played key roles in leading the Stonewall riots that inspired the gay rights movement in the United States and around the globe. I attended my first Pride parade when I moved to New York in 2007. I was captivated by the diversity of the attendees, THE FASHION, the spi...View all