The story of the Stonewall Inn
NEW YORK CITY -- The modern LGBTQ+ rights movement was born at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village on a steamy summer night in 1969, and 53 years later, Eyewitness News is looking back at this historic event in a half-hour special.
Tapping the archives of WABC-TV and ABC News, this special examines the significance of the Stonewall riots and brings you accounts of people who were there.
We tell the story of how patrons of the Christopher Street bar resisted NYPD harassment that night, with the casting of the "first brick" leading to protests and violent clashes with police that lasted for days.
The uprising sent a message to the world that members of the LGBTQ+ community would no longer tolerate being targeted or ostracized.
In the five decades since the police raid and rebellion, The Stonewall Inn has gone from a dark and dingy bar to a tourist attraction that's a national historic landmark.
The special examines how the fight on the streets in 1969 paved the way for ongoing efforts today to cement those hard-won victories into laws that protect the LGBTQ+ community.
Our special debuts Wednesday night at 8 p.m. wherever you stream ABC7. It can also be seen on demand later in this story, and on our streaming app.
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