For many generations, especially in North America, homosexuality was not accepted in any way, shape or form. Many believed that it was a curable medical disease, when in reality people were, and still are, ignorant and could not come to terms with the fact that everyone in this world is different from each other. In many cases of unfair treatment, many individuals in the gay community did not want to “expose themselves” and remained in the “closet”. As a means of making gays and lesbians proud and taking a stand for who they are, a movement that has spread internationally. This movement is known as "The Gay Liberation" movement which occurred in the late 1960s to early to mid-1970s ("Gay Liberation"). The gay liberation movement urged individuals in the gay community to “come out,” reveal their sexuality to their loved ones as a form of activism, and to counter shame with gay pride (“Gay Liberation”). The Stonewall riots are believed to have been the spark that ignited the rise of the gay liberation movement; it has influenced how the gay community is viewed socially and how their rights are politically relevant. During the early 1950s and throughout the 1960s, in an effort to "control" sexual behavior, law enforcement would raid gay bars as a means of demonstrating to them that their way of life was considered "inappropriate." ” in the eyes of society and harassed them because of their sexuality. On June 27, 1969, the New York Police Department began their nightly routine of raiding bars, that night they raided the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich (Goldstein). Usually, when the police raided these places, the patrons defied the authority. This night though; for the first time in history, the occupants of the ba...... middle of paper ......nment/la-ca-stonewall-20100620>Landstreet, Peter. “Sociology 1010: Introduction to Sociology.” York University, Toronto. March 12. Obama, Barack. “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month.” The White House. March 10, 2012. “Gay Liberation” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, February 25, 2012. “LGBT Rights in Canada.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. March 1, 2012. “LGBT Rights in the United States.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. March 1, 2012. “Leviticus 20.” Bible Door. March 8, 2012.