-by guest blogger and MTSE Advisory Board Member Yali Bitan, they/them

Years before pride was associated with corporate parades, gay folks had to fight for their right to party.

Many people associate the beginning of gay activism/organization/protest with the 1969 uprising at the Stonewall Inn in New York, but few know about the Black Cat protest of 1967.

At the time, homosexual activity was criminalized, and gay bars were routinely raided by police. “Kissing was a crime; cross-dressing was a crime. If you were arrested and identified as being gay, you could lose your job, your income, your house, your family." - Alexei Romanoff activist & owner of New Faces, another local gay bar.