Ray Castro was arrested at the Stonewall Inn on the evening of June 28, 1969. His arrest sparked a new civil rights movement–six days of rioting for the equality of the LGBTQ community. Castro, who passed away in 2010 of stomach cancer, moved from Puerto Rico to Harlem, New York. Although arrested, no charges were filed. According to his husband, “Ray didn’t take anything from anybody, he was very strong.” Click here for the full article.
Here we are 42 years later and we have an entire generation that has no idea of the importance and significance of the Stonewall Riots. While much ground toward equality has been gained for the LGBTQ community, we still have a long way to go. The federal government of the United States continues to marginalize us and we are treated as second class citizens. We pay our taxes but we are still denied over 1,000 rights and privileges of our heterosexual brothers and sisters.
Than you to Ray Castro for your contribution to helping make life easier for those of us that followed in your footsteps.