Gay rights activist recalls the Stonewall riot 50 years ago

When the police made a routine raid on the gay bar the Stonewall Inn in New York 50 years ago, Mark Segal, an 18-year-old transplant from Philadelphia, along with the other patrons took a stand and fought back.Gay bars were illegal mafia operations in the 1960s when the New York State Liquor Authority continued to outlaw establishments from serving alcoholic beverages to gay customers.Despite its slummy aspect, for LGBT people it was a sanctuary from the harassment they would face when in public."You went to Stonewall, you, with all your friends -- you could hold hands, you could kiss, and …READ FULL ARTICLE