There’s a lot to celebrate this LGBT Pride Month, but do you know why it’s in June? Read on to embrace the Pride movement by learning about LGBT history and the major events that shaped how it came to be, courtesy of Ann Bausum’s Stonewall: Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights.

In the summer of 1969, the Stonewall Inn in New York City’s West Village was a safe space for gay people to hang out at a time when laws persecuted them.

Around 1:20 am on June 27th, police raided the Stonewall Inn. 

As the cops forced everyone out and into a wagon that would take them to jail, the crowd started to fight back. The raid became a riot.

Overnight, younger gay people went from being individuals to members of the same extended family.

One month later, over 500 protestors started a march in Washington Square Park. It gathered and gathered, and a movement began.

Today, people celebrate in parades across the globe as a tribute to the past and the future of gay rights.

Find out the whole story and more on the birth of the Gay Pride movement in Stonewall: Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights!