Renowned Activists Kick Off Pride Week

LGBT Legends Reflect on Stonewall

by Delaney Smith

It’s been 50 years since the Stonewall Riots of 1969 ​— ​which were ignited when police raided the gay-friendly Stonewall Inn in New York’s Greenwich Village ​— ​sparked the modern LGBT movement. While much ground has been gained in terms of legislation and equality for gays, there is more to do.

In celebration of Santa Barbara Pride Week, the Independent interviewed two influential LGBT activists: Jim Obergefell, the plaintiff in the landmark 2015 Supreme Court case, Obergefell v. Hodges, that legalized same-sex marriage; and Ellen Broidy, cofounder of first Gay Pride March in 1970 and member of Gay Liberation Front. Both Obergefell and Broidy are speaking at the upcoming Pacific Pride Festival and the panel Perspectives on Pride: Stonewall to the Supreme Court & Beyond.