Windsor LGBTQ advocates hold Stonewall commemoration rally

LGBTQ advocacy group W.E. Trans Support held a rally Friday to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots.

Sometimes referred to as the Stonewall rebellion or the Stonewall uprising, the riots took place during the early morning of June 28, 1969, after police raided the Stonewall Inna gay bar in New York City's Greenwich Village neighbourhood.

The riots marked a turning point for LGBTQ rights in the United States and are considered one of the essential moments that sparked the LGBTQ liberation movement.

The Stonewall riots are also why June marks Pride Month.

Held near Windsor City Hall Square, the rally Friday was attended by members of the city'sLGBTQ community, as well as their allies.

"We're here today to mark that and to remind our community to remind the larger society that this our origin this is the history that we're moving from," Derrick Biso, a University of Windsor student who served on the W.E. Trans board during the organization's early days.

Whilethe W.E. Trans Supportrally commemorated Stonewall, it was also intended to underline that true liberation, acceptance and equity is still out of reach for manymembers of the LGBTQ community.

Biso explained the goal was to "challenge some of the choices that are being made by the influential gay, queer trans community" and those which perpetuate white supremacy and exclusion.

Speakers shared stories about their experiences living in a society that still doesn't fully accept those who exist outside of heteronormative, cis-gender spaces.

Eleane Paguaga Amador, who identifies as a bisexual woman, said she wanted to remind those gathered that "we have grown up in a society that tells us that there is something wrong with us.

Amador added the presence of Pride celebrations around the world are a positive sign, but "if we forget and we turn a blind eye to the people that are still facing discrimination within our community and outside of our community, then we have nothing to celebrate."