Uprisings Around the World

What happened before/after Stonewall to propel the movement?

The Stonewall Uprising is not the only one of its kind; millions of LGBTQIA+ individuals worldwide have been fighting for their lives since before (and after) 1969!

Below is a list of historical milestones for the global LGBTQIA+ community. Of course, this is by no means a comprehensive list, as LGBTQIA+ people have been in society since the beginning of human history; however, in honor of the 53rd anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, it is important to acknowledge those who contributed to the rights we have now to look at towards the future.

• 1791 in France — The first Western European nation to decriminalize homosexuality.
• 1811 in the Netherlands — decriminalized homosexuality in 1811.
• 1822 in the Dominican Republic — decriminalized homosexuality in 1822.
• 19th Century, El Salvador, Brazil, Bolivia, Portugal, Argentina, Turkey (then the Ottoman Empire), Honduras, Italy, and the Vatican — decriminalized homosexuality.
• 1855 in Washington, D.C. — A two-spirit, non-binary, Zuni Native American named We’wha took part in a delegation to the U.S. Capitol.
• 1897 in Germany — Magnus Hirschfeld, Max Spohr, Franz Josef von Bülow, and Eduard Oberg created the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee, the world’s first gay rights organization.
• 1901 in Mexico — Dance of the Forty-One, 41 members of upper echelon society in Mexico City were arrested at a party for “dressing like women.”
• 1904 in Mexico — a group of lesbian individuals in Santa Maria were arrested
• 1951 in Los Angeles — the Mattachine Foundation was founded to protect and improve the rights of gay men.
• 1955 in San Francisco — the Daughters of Bilitis became the first lesbian organization in the United States.
• 1966 in New York City — New York State Liquor Authority banned bartenders from serving alcohol to gay people causing the Mattachine Society to organize “Sip-Ins” to force the issue into courts.
• 1967 in Los Angeles — Police raided the Black Cat Tavern.
• 1970 in England — Europe’s first LGBTQ+ demonstration in London.
• 1972 in London — “Gay Pride March” was coined as 2,000 people demonstrated through Oxford Street to Hyde Park (50th anniversary this year).
• 1972 in Germany — first demonstration in Münster.
• 1972 in New Zealand — “Gay Day” protest occurred in Auckland
• 1978 in Australia — first gay Mardi Gras march in Sydney.
• 1979 in Germany — first Christopher Street Day (CSD) demonstrations in Bremen, Berlin, Cologne, and Stuttgart.
• 1990 in South Africa — Africa’s first Pride march in Johannesburg.
• 1997 in Brazil — São Paulo’s first Pride parade
• 1999 in India — the first Pride march was in Kolkata.
• 2000 in Italy — WorldPride was first celebrated in Rome.
• 2003 in Taiwan — First pride parade in Taipei
• 2018 in Eswatini — First pride parade in the capital of Mbabane
• 2019 in Nepal — First pride parade in Nepal

To learn more about Uprisings around the world, check out this episode of the InterPod, which was released in October of 2021:

Click here to read the Medium article on this episode.

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