June is Pride Month, a worldwide commemoration of the pro-LGBTQ uprising that began at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. Like many gay and queer bars of the time, the Stonewall Inn was often raided by police. And anyone, especially people the police suspected were part of the LGBTQ community, was arrested.
The deadliest anti-LGBTQ violence in American history, until Sunday, happened four years after Stonewall, at the Upstairs Lounge in New Orleans, Louisiana. Between June 24, 1973, when that attack occurred, and the attack on the Orlando gay nightclub this past Sunday, the LGBTQ community has seen significant civil rights progress. However, the message this act of terror and hate sends is clear: There are still no truly safe spaces for LGBTQ people, and it will still be a long journey until we see a time when there are.
