Murray, Cantwell Introduce Bipartisan Senate Resolution to Honor 50th Anniversary of Stonewall Uprising

June 28, 2019 marks 50 years since brave Americans at New York’s Stonewall Inn stood up to oppression and discrimination 

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) introduced the first ever bipartisan U.S. Senate resolution to honor the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. Stonewall is an important moment in American history that sparked the modern LGBTQ movement for equal rights in communities across the nation. 

“No individual in the United States should have to fear being the target of violence because of who they are or who they love,” the resolution reads. “The Stonewall uprising empowered thousands of LGBTQ individuals to emerge from the shadows and come out publicly as they stood up for their community the night of June 28, 1969 and beyond.”

On June 28, 1969, the New York Police Department raided the Stonewall Inn, a bar in New York’s Greenwich Village frequented by the LGBTQ community, and arrested many patrons. Several brave Americans, particularly transgender women of color, stood up to the injustice and sparked an uprising that lasted six days. On June 6 of this year, the NYPD Commissioner issued an official apology on behalf of the NYPD, stating, “The actions taken by the NYPD were wrong—plain and simple.”

“The Senate commends the bravery, solidarity, and resiliency of the LGBTQ community in the face of violence and discrimination, both past and present,” the resolution continues.

Additional Senate cosponsors of the resolution include Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Tom Carper (D-DE), Bob Casey (D-PA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Chris Coons (D-DE), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tina Smith (D-MN), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

Full text of the resolution is available HERE. 

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