First Gay Games open in San Francisco 1982

The very first Gay Games were held in San Francisco from August 28 to September 5, 1982.  San Francisco was chosen because of the large gay and lesbian population, and the games had support from local government.  Tina Turner performed at the opening ceremonies and Stephanie Mills performed at the closing.  The torch was lit by two former US Olympians from a flame that had been carried on a torch starting at the Stonewall Inn in New York City.

The organizers of the games reached out to recruit athletes from minority groups, such as people of color, women and rural gays.

Hong Kong will host the 11th Gay Games in 2022.

Celebrating Pride Month - Cooper's Donuts riot, first LGBT uprising, 1959

Almost 10 years before the Stonewall riots, Los Angeles became the site of the first LGBT uprising in the U.S.  In May 1959, Cooper's Do-nuts was a 24-hour cafe on Main Street in the Skid Row neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles.  Transgender and gay customers felt safe and welcome, since Cooper's was the only place in town that did not turn away transgender folks.  It was illegal for a person's perceived gender not to match the gender on their ID.

One night, two police officers entered the cafe, asking for ID.  They attempted to arrest two drag queens, two male sex workers and a gay man, John Rechy, who would chronicle the event in his novel City of Night.  Cooper's patrons had had enough and pelted the officers with donuts, coffee and paper plates until they were forced to retreat.

The police showed up in a larger presence and shut down Main Street for an entire day.

Celebrating Pride Month - Stonewall National Monument, first designated LGBT historic site 2016

June 23, 2015, the Stonewall Inn became a New York City Landmark, making it the city's first landmark to commemorate LGBT rights.

On June 24, 2016, President Barack Obama officially dedicated the Stonewall National Monument, the first U.S. national monument for LGBT history.  The dedication came just two weeks after the Orlando nightclub shooting, which took the lives of 49 people.

In October 2017, a rainbow LGBT flag was raised on the monument.




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_National_Monument

https://web.archive.org/web/20160818142844/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150623/civic-center/stonewall-inn-is-officially-nyc-landmark-unprecedented-move