Pride Month: Why Being Seen Heals
On a warm summer New York City evening in June 1969, groups of friends, cleared by the bouncer who inspected them through a peephole in the door, drank, danced, and dreamed inside a mafia-owned dive bar. At the Stonewall Inn, operating as a “private club” due to the lack of a liquor license, the LGBTQ+ patrons were used to a secretive social life as brutal and unprovoked attacks on gays were quite common. NYC Police would routinely raid the hidden bars of Greenwich Village, harassing the clients or practising entrapment by using undercover officers to solicit gay men.
You see, in the USA in 1969, homosexual acts were illegal in all but one state (Illinois). For the GLBTQ+ community, this meant possible arrest and prosecution for engaging in same-sex acts, as New York considered homosexual activity a criminal offense.
There was nothing particularly eventful about that Friday night. True, Judy Garland’s funeral was earlier that day, and tongues were wagging with the gossip of who went to the service and what they were wearing, but otherwise, just another weekend of watered-down drinks and flirty fun at one of the most popular gay bars in New York City.
History in the Making
However, what transpired during the early morning police raid on June 28 would go down in history. Earlier that evening, two undercover policewomen and two undercover policemen had entered the bar to gather visual evidence for the “Public Morals Squad.” At 1:20 am, the waiting officers received their signal and burst onto the scene of 200 people, announcing, “Police! We're taking the place!" In a flash, men and women were running for the doors, but the officers had blocked all of the exits. There was no escape. In past raids, things followed an orderly process: drag queens and trans people were automatically arrested, men were lined up to present their identification, and female police officers would take female-looking patrons to the bathroom to verify their sex.
Not tonight. Fed up with the previous raids less than a week before, the non-stop discrimination and humiliation for simply existing, the patrons decided to fight back—especially the homeless gay youth who frequented the Stonewall. The men withheld their identity documents. The women refused to be examined. Confusion grew by the moment as the officers released some patrons, but instead of leaving quickly, they stayed in the streets. The police cars, lights, and commotion piqued the curiosity of bystanders, and the crowds quickly grew.
When Resistance Ignited
By the time the Greenwich Village police patrol wagons started arriving, an irate crowd of more than 150 had gathered and was growing. As author Edmund White, who had been passing by, recalled, "Everyone's restless, angry, and high-spirited. No one has a slogan, no one even has an attitude, but something's brewing." As news filtered through the group that patrons inside the club were being physically and sexually assaulted, a lesbian in handcuffs was led out the door. Scuffling with the police, she yelled at the swelling crowd, “Why don’t you guys do something?!”
Now, 500-600 strong and well outnumbering the police, the angry mob chanting “Gay Rights!” began hurling insults as well as coins, rocks, beer bottles, and perhaps a stiletto or two.
An hour later, as buildings burned, the rebellion was in full swing with baton-wielding officers facing off against a Rockettes-style kickline of gay men while the mob openly mocked the police as massive crowds of angry protesters chased them screaming, 'Catch them!'.
The Stonewall Riots had begun.
A Movement Is Born
By Saturday night, the news had spread, and thousands thronged the narrow streets surrounding the Stonewall Inn. Spontaneous rebellion was in the air as police fought to contain the crowds while street battles ensued until the wee hours of the morning night after night.
Things were changing—fast—people who had felt oppressed now felt empowered and galvanized. TheGay Liberation Front (GLF) was soon formed, and although short-lived, the organization was the first to use the word "gay" in its name.
Why Stonewall Mattered
After the uprising, The Mattachine Society newsletter offered its explanation of why the riots occurred: "It (Stonewall Inn) catered largely to a group of people who are not welcome in or cannot afford other places of homosexual social gathering ... The Stonewall became home to these (homeless) kids. When it was raided, they fought for it. That and the fact that they had nothing to lose other than the most tolerant and broadminded gay place in town, explains why."
Their words captured a deeper truth: the riots were not random. They were rooted in rejection, survival, and resilience.
From Protest to Pride
While the Stonewall Rebellion only lasted a total of six days, the uprising forever changed the LGBTQ+ movement. Those protests through the streets of Greenwich Village spurred the Christopher Street Liberation Day Gay Pride parade on June 28, 1970, which marked the first anniversary of the Stonewall riots. With simultaneous Gay Pride marches slated for Los Angeles and Chicago, these became the first Gay Pride marches in the USA. The following year, the movement had swelled to 10 cities, including London, Paris, West Berlin, and Stockholm.
Throughout the years, the historic gathering continued to grow and is now memorialized as the annual Gay Pride parades celebrated in more than 100 cities around the world.
The Fight isn’t Over
Today, the echoes of Stonewall still resound. While much has changed for the LGBTQ+ community in the past five decades — legal victories, broader societal acceptance, increasing visibility in media, politics, and culture — many of the core issues that ignited the riots remain heartbreakingly present.
LGBTQ+ youth are still disproportionately affected by homelessness, often after being rejected by family or community. Trans and non-binary individuals still face violence, discrimination, and barriers to medical and mental health care. And in far too many places, being openly queer still invites risk.
Global Backlash and Ongoing Threats
While equality has spread throughout the world, it’s important to note that there are still over 60 countries where same-sex relationships are criminalized, and in at least 11 of those, being gay can carry the death penalty. These include countries like Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria (in some northern states), and parts of Somalia, where consensual same-sex acts can be punishable by death under Sharia law.
Even in countries without death penalties, the penalties for simply being yourself can be devastating — imprisonment, torture, or forced conversion therapy. In Uganda, a harsh anti-homosexuality law passed in 2023 includes life sentences for same-sex relationships and even the death penalty for so-called 'aggravated homosexuality.' The law has been internationally condemned as one of the most extreme anti-LGBTQ+ pieces of legislation in the world.
But it’s not just isolated to countries far away. In recent years, LGBTQ+ rights have seen worrying setbacks in places that were once seen as progressing forward. In the United States, over 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in 2023 alone, many targeting trans youth and access to healthcare or public spaces. In Hungary and Russia, “gay propaganda” laws have effectively silenced public discussion and visibility, placing even supportive speech under threat. Even in the UK, once considered a leader in LGBTQ+ rights, a growing wave of transphobic rhetoric and policy delays has stirred deep concern.
Pride Matters
These laws and policies don’t exist in a vacuum. They send a clear message: you are not safe, you are not welcome, you do not belong. And the mental health toll of living under such conditions is immense. Shame. Secrecy. Hypervigilance. These are the emotional byproducts of a world where authenticity is punished instead of celebrated.
This is why Pride still matters. Not as a marketing opportunity, not as a rainbow filter, but as a radical act of visibility, resistance, and love. Because what has shifted in ways unimaginable in 1969 is the growing recognition that love is not shameful and identity is not something to suppress. Mental health thrives in environments where people are seen, accepted, and affirmed. For LGBTQ+ individuals, especially those who have experienced trauma, rejection, or internalized shame, the ability to live authentically can be life-saving.
The Legacy Lives On
The true legacy of the Stonewall riots is the ongoing struggle for LGBTQ+ equality and rights. Historian Nicholas Edsall writes, “Stonewall has been compared to any number of acts of radical protest and defiance in American history from the Boston Tea Party on. But the best and certainly a more nearly contemporary analogy is Rosa Parks' refusal to move to the back of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in December 1955, which sparked the modern civil rights movement. Within months after Stonewall, radical gay liberation groups and newsletters sprang up in cities and on college campuses across America and then across all of northern Europe as well.”
And when people are allowed to live openly without fear, shame, or threat, mental health doesn’t just improve. It transforms lives. At its heart, Pride is about defiance, dignity, and visibility. It’s about saying, “We exist, we matter, and we deserve to live free.”
This message lies at the core of what we honor during Pride Month and at the heart of the healing work we do at The Place Retreats because healing begins with being seen. With being heard. With being safe enough to tell the truth of who you are.
Coming Home to Yourself at The Place Retreats
For many LGBTQ+ people, the journey toward self-acceptance is not linear. It’s layered with grief and resilience, with sorrow and celebration. And yet, in spaces where safety, compassion, and authenticity are prioritized, something extraordinary happens:
People come home to themselves.
This Pride, we remember those who fought back at Stonewall and those who continue the fight. Those discarded by their families, left on the streets, and yet choose to fight back. Those who continue to be banished from society. Those who just want to live their lives and love freely. These brave and resilient activists continue to lead the way for the visibility, tolerance, acceptance, and legal protections that are experienced around the world today.
At The Place Retreats, we want to help create a world where no one has to hide to survive. Because everyone deserves to be seen, loved, and accepted — not just during Pride, but every day.
If you'd like more information on how a mental health retreat at The Place Retreats Bali can help you, contact us to schedule a free 15-minute consultation with a member of our team.
