In the early hours of June 28, 1969, nine New York City police officers raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in Greenwich Village. A search warrant in hand authorised them to investigate the illegal sale of alcohol, and – in accordance with a New York criminal statute –arrest people who were not wearing at least three articles of gender-appropriate clothing.
WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: Annette Anderson delivers spectacular speech at MonacoPride 2024.
Activist and photographer Mark Segal, 18 at the time, was at the LGBTQ+ hang out that day. He recently described the event to Katie Couric Media, saying it was “an ordinary night” dancing at the Stonewall Inn when the police “poured in, threatening and beating patrons … but instead of complying like they normally did when these altercations occurred, the crowd decided to fight back.”
He described, ‘“It was the most horrific, frightening scene I had ever been part of. My first reaction in my head was, ‘Oh gee, we better call the police’ – and then I realised these are the police. Realising that we gay people can be treated like this was probably one of the most depressing times in my life. [It felt like] no one cared about us, not even the police.”
The police barricaded themselves inside and called for backup as some 400 people rioted and set fire to the bar. The flames were extinguished in time but the riots continued for six days. This incident became known as the Stonewall Uprising, the tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the US.
In 1970, a year after the Stonewall Inn raid, activists commemorated the anniversary with what was the first gay pride march. Today, the Stonewall Uprising continues to be honoured worldwide with Pride Month in June.
In Monaco, across Pride Month, the Barclays Private Bank building lights up in the colours of the rainbow. It was Barclays Monaco who, in 2022, collaborated with Fight Aids Monaco and Stars’n’Bars to create MonacoPride, to provide an opportunity to educate Monaco decision makers about LGBTQI+ rights and to change the outdated laws that create serious hardships for many families of people working and living in Monaco.
Every year since, on June 20, MonacoPride brings together residents and workers to celebrate the LGBTQI+ community. The annual cocktail continues to grow larger, more dynamic, and this third edition invited an unprecedented 150 guests to the new port restaurant, Marius.
It’s a party with a purpose, a reflection on the year’s achievements – like the welcome creation of the new Mon’Arc En Ciel Association – but also to focus on the road ahead as Monaco is consistently rated among the worst counties in Europe in terms of LGBTQI+ civil rights.
Hervé Aeschbach, director of Fight Aids Monaco (WATCH VIDEO BELOW), pointed out how there are no spousal rights for widows or widowers of a spouse in a same-sex couple legally married in other countries and same sex families who are denied medical benefits for their children.
In a riveting speech, Annette Anderson thanked the “many courageous members of the Conseil National as well as the [Marina Ceyssac] High Commissioner for Protection of Rights who have fought for equal rights for the Rainbow Community” but went further to say, “It is OUR responsibility to fight for OUR rights.”
Annette also commended the Isabelle and Anais Berruti, Laure Bernardi and Cynthia Salvanhac, the thirtysomething cofounders of the country’s first LGBTQIA+ association, Mon’Arc en Ciel.
When Mon’Arc en Ciel launched a month ago, Anais said in an interview, “Monaco is small, people talk. I have never been uncomfortable saying that I’m in a couple with a woman. But we are young. We are not the same generation as older people who have maybe had different experiences.
“Some individuals feel there’s a risk of being regarded negatively, so they keep quiet. We understand, and that’s why we created this association. To tell these people that, even if they don’t want to speak out, the association will do it for them.
Article first published June 21, 2024. Photos and videos copyright Good News, Monaco.
