Gay Rights Demonstrations July 4, 1965-1969 - Philadelphia, PA
N 39° 56.964 W 075° 09.047
18S E 487119 N 4422152
6th and Chestnut streets Independence Mall is the site of some of the nation’s first gay rights protests from 1965 to 1969. A Pennsylvania Historical Marker commemorates the pioneering gay activists at 6th and Chestnut streets. Dedicated in 2005.
Waymark Code: WMCH07
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 09/06/2011
Views: 9
Visitors to Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park are reminded once again of the city’s history of tolerance, thanks to a new historic marker at the site of peaceful protests by the gay and lesbian community in the 1960s. Standing directly across the street from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell Center at 6th and Chestnut Streets, the marker was erected to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the first Annual Reminder, a demonstration led by pioneering gay activists on July 4 from 1965 to 1969.
In July 2005, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission dedicated the blue and yellow marker, the first in the country to acknowledge gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) history. The sign reads: “Annual public demonstrations for gay and lesbian equality. These peaceful protests and New York’s Stonewall riots in 1969 and Pride Parade in 1970, transformed a small national campaign into a civil rights movement.”
The text of the historic marker reads:
Annual public demonstrations for gay and lesbian equality were held at Independence Hall. These peaceful protests and New York's Stonewall riots in 1969 & Pride Parade in 1970 transformed a small national campaign into a civil rights movement.