The Stonewall National Monument Visitor Centre has opened, 55 years after the Stonewall uprising, making it the first LGBTIQ+ visitor centre in the United States National Park Service.
On June 28, 1969, New York police raided the Stonewall Inn, ostensibly to bust an illegal Mafia-owned establishment selling watered-down liquor without a license.
At the time, being gay was virtually illegal and anti-discrimination laws nonexistent, but Greenwich Village was relatively free territory for all: butch lesbians, drag queens, street queens, transgender women of colour and of course gay men.
The Stonewall Inn welcomed everybody.
Instead of surrendering quietly, its patrons fought back, leading to days of violent encounters between surprised police officers and gay people who had simply had enough.
Activist Mark Segal was there that night.
"That night they barged through the doors. That night they started busting up the bar. That night they took bottles of liquor and threw them at the people. That night they slammed us up against the wall. It was pretty dramatic and for a boy from Philadelphia at 18 years old seeing this, my first reaction was, 'Oh, we'd better call the police.' And then it was, these are the police who are doing this. And if we can't be safe from the police, we have no place in society. And so I was pretty depressed, but that was until we got outside."
Mr Segal says that once outside, his depression was replaced with youthful rage.
"Once we got outside, I started getting angry and wondering why this was happening to us. And it was the height of the cultural revolution in America in 1969, and women were organising, Blacks were organising. And I thought, 'Why not us?' And I think that's the moment I became an activist. And at that point, I didn't know, 'OK, what's this going to mean? What am I going to do for my life?' Gay activist -- didn't get paid a salary. But I knew that was my calling."
US President Joe Biden says Stonewall was a turning point that galvanised lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals in America and around the world, inspiring them to mobilise and organise.
"Fifty five years ago today on this hallowed ground, a pivotal story for our nation unfolded. The soul of the nation was literally tested. That's not hyperbole. The soul of the nation was tested and the heart of this movement was ignited and the course of history has changed forever. Not just here, but I've travelled around the world, they look to us. They look to us. It's part of our foreign policy as well now. This beloved bar became the site of a call to cry for freedom, dignity and equality, respect, rebellion and galvanised the LGBTQI+ community all across the nation and, quite frankly, around the world."
Mr Biden then pays tribute to those who stood up for their rights during that uprising.
"LGBTQ+ people are some of the most inspiring people I know, and of course, their courage. I talk to a lot of younger LGBTQ people in their teens and twenties, and I remind them for a lot of people who started this operation, you took your life in your own hands, not figuratively, literally. You took your jobs in your own hands. You were put up in a position where you had so much to lose and you still did it. You still did it."
He then told of his first experience with gay men.
"I remember my dad was dropping me off to get a license to be a lifeguard in Wilmington, Delaware, at a swimming pool. And I got out of the car at Rodney Square, that's where the DuPont Building is and the Hercules Corp is all in that one quarter. And two well-dressed men were kissing each other. I hadn't seen that before. I looked at my dad. I was 16 years old. I looked at my dad and he said, 'It's simple Joey, they love each other. It's simple."
Musician Sir Elton John was also at the grand opening.
"Hello, Greenwich Village. Thank you, Mr. President and Dr. Biden, for your kind introduction for declaring Stonewall to be a national monument and for your empowering words for our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters, those here with us today and those listening across America and around the world. I can say, as a proud English gay man, that this is one of the biggest honours of my life to be here today, having watched what took place 55 years ago. Thank you, too, for celebrating our place as equal and valued members of society and for taking concrete action to make our lives better."
Sir Elton says the fight for LGBTIQ+ rights continues to this day.
"Stonewall serves as a national monument where generations to come will learn the important lessons of this essential history so that we do not repeat it because the job isn't done. Over 540 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in state legislatures across America this year. Disgraceful. And discrimination and criminalisation threaten the lives of our LGBTQ+ family, from Kingston to Kampala."
The newly opened visitor centre is dedicated to showcasing the legacy of Stonewall and its impact on contemporary generations.
It encourages visitors to carry forward the spirit of Stonewall and to continue the pursuit of full equality for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
June is global Gay Pride month because it was in June that the Stonewall Uprising began in 1969.
As the month comes to its end, several gay pride events have been taking place around the world.
In London, revellers basked in the sunshine on Saturday as they took part in the annual Pride parade through central London.
Tens of thousands of people, many waving rainbow flags, turned out to show their support for LGBTIQ+ rights.
The parade ended at Trafalgar Square, where artists and campaigners entertained a large crowd.
With the UK election only days away, many including drag star Ginger Johnson are accusing politicians of weaponising the issue of gender identity.
"I think it is deeply shameful that politicians think they can use LGBTQ+ issues to score points against each other, when actually they should be keeping out of our business, let's be real. It's easy for them to rile people up with conversations like that, and I don't think they understand the danger that that puts especially the trans community in."
And in Paris, tens of thousands of people took part in the big annual pride march on Saturday, with LGBT rights groups saying they fear discrimination if a far-right government takes power following the country's election.
France will go to the polls on Sunday for the first round of a parliamentary election that opinion polls show could bring the far-right National Rally to power.
The second round takes place on the 7th of July.
Cian Grourke is an American living in France.
He says he is quite concerned.
“I am worried about LGBTQ rights, I am worried about being a foreigner on a residency permit, I have called the government asking if I can apply for citizenship now because I have no idea what is going to happen in the next election. I think if the National Front takes charge of France, they will ruin it.”
Gay pride events also took place at Thessaloniki in Greece, in Los Angeles, California and in Madrid and Barcelona in Spain and many other cities around the world.
