The date was June 27, 1969. The place was the Stonewall Inn located in New York in New York. On that night the New York Police Department raided this “bar,” but it was not just any kind of bar; it was a gay bar.

Stonewall, located on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, was a constant target of “raids” in the sixties except this night was different. Instead of finding a docile response by the frequent patrons, the police were met with resistance. This was the night that the bar patrons had had enough.

This was the night that the homosexual community fought back. Things were thrown; windows  broken; arrests were made, and suddenly a riot happened. This riot lasted three days, with many dismissing the event as a clash between a “freakish” minority and the local authorities.

Some in the homosexual community even denounced the riots for fear that the community would lose the hard fought “privilege” of assimilation into a straight society. But for others, it was the first time in American history that gay people refused to comply with the laws that made them nothing more than second class citizens. It was seen as an act of empowerment, a chance for great change.

This was the inception of Gay Pride. Gay Pride is celebrated around the world in the month of June. As the homosexual community celebrates the Thirty-Fifth Anniversary of this historic event, many strides in acceptance and tolerance have been undertaken, from the presence of a myriad of gay and lesbian characters on sitcoms and dramas to the arrival of a “gay sensibility” that even the straight community emulates and admires.

In honor of the Stonewall Rebellion, the politically minded Democrats in the GLBT community named their group Stonewall Democrats. For a society to change, most noted historians claim that it takes about a century. With thirty-five years in the Gay Pride Movement, broader strides and accomplishments are yet to come.

Now it's five years later and things have moved along in an ebb and flow kind of movement. As in anything there are opportunities to celebrate and to mourn.

The community has seen great strides since I wrote that article five years ago...who would have thought that now gay marriage is recognized in the north east: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusettes. I don't know if Rhode Island got in on this but last but not least Iowa also jumped in.

On the other hand Proposition 8 was upheld in a wishy washy way, as the CA Supreme Court upheld the propositions passage but allowed for all the marriages that had occurred prior to the passage of Prop 8 that banned gay marriage.

Well I still echo the sentiments of the article that I wrote...With thirty-five years in the Gay Pride Movement, broader strides and accomplishments are yet to come. Just add five years on top of that.

- 6.28.09

President Barack Obama has just allowed an extension of benefits to the same sex partners of federal employees. I for one see this as a step in the right direction where we must take baby steps before taking huge leaps. But with that said, I’m still a little disappointed on the president’s none acknowledgement of the ground breaking events that have occurred during his short tenure as president: namely the six states that have allowed the institution of gay marriage.

As a matter of fact it took his Secretary of State to propose this measure before he would even budge. I mean I could have sworn that the LGBT community was included in both his acceptance speech in Denver and in the Inaugural address but yet he has done nothing for the cause. Granted he has bigger fish to fry with the shape of the economy and the looming crises overseas; but give me a break didn’t he state during the 08 campaign that a President must learn to multi-task?

Now I’m not begrudging the fact that this was done and I commend the president for it but that to me just sounds like an after thought in my opinion after the miserable failure to get California Prop 8 over turned. Now something of real substance that would matter a whole lot more to a lot more people would be to overturn DOMA.

DOMA stands for the Defense of Marriage Act that was signed into law by President Bill Clinton during his second term. It pretty much states that the US government or any state thereof is not held to recognize any same-sex marriage if they so chose to, allowing for the full faith and credit clause of the 14^th amendment to be overlooked.

So yeah I’m happy that there is some light at the end of the tunnel. But fearful that is the only thing that will come out of this.

Below is a 5 min video of Rachel Maddow’s take on the extension of benefits that aired on 6/15/09.  6.17.09