The riots in New York in 1969, known as the Stonewall Riots, marked the beginning of the modern gay and lesbian movement. The under-recognised heroines of Stonewall were Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera.

Johnson was an African-American transgender woman and LGBT activist, and was particularly strong on behalf of trans people of colour. Johnson was a regular at the Stonewall Inn in 1969, along with Sylvia Rivera. They were among the first to oppose the raid on the Stonewall Inn on 28 June.

Bottle against baton

Rivera allegedly threw a bottle at a police officer after being hit by his baton. This was supposedly the spark that started the riots called Stonewall Riots, which mark the beginning of the modern gay and lesbian movement. Marsha and Sylvia were among the first protagonists.

Today, 55 years later, bottles are no longer thrown in Christopher Street. But corona had done so much damage to the historically significant bar that it was on the brink of bankruptcy. This brought Tim Gill and Scott Miller onto the scene. The former was a very wealthy gay rights activist in the USA, the latter an American ambassador to Switzerland.

Allies from all over the world

The two have ensured the Stonewall Inn’s survival. “A place where LGBTQ people and allies from around the world come together to support equality,” said Stacy Lentz, co-owner of the Stonewall Inn and CEO of the Stonewall Gives Back Initiative, in her acceptance speech in front of the Stonewall Inn on 14 April 2024.

The lesbians, gays and trans people of HOSI Salzburg are aware of the tradition that Marsha and Sylvia founded and are celebrating Pride this year with the Pride Festival from 30 August to 8 September, including the big Pride Parade through Salzburg city centre on 7 September.