Obama Celebrates Anti-Police Riot Started at Mafia-Owned Bar for Transvestites

At a White House reception held Friday evening in honor of Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Pride month, President Barack Obama celebrated a 1969 anti-police riot that started in what the New York Times reports was an illegal Mafia-owned bar for transvestites.

“Now, each June since I took office, we have gathered to pay tribute to the generations of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans who devoted their lives to our most basic of ideals–equality not just for some, but for all,” Obama said.

“Together we’ve marked major milestones like the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, when a group of brave citizens held their ground against brutal discrimination,” said Obama. “Together, we’ve honored courageous pioneers who, decades ago, came out and spoke out; who challenged unjust laws and destructive prejudices. Together, we’ve stood resolute; unwavering in our commitment to advance this movement and to build a more perfect union.”

The “Stonewall Riot” that president Obama referred to started when police raided a New York City saloon called the “Stonewall Inn” that catered to transvestites. In a 2010 obituary for Seymour Pine, the police inspector who led the raid, the New York Times reported the basic facts of the incident, describing the inn as “an illegal club frequented by cross-dressers.”

“The club, on Christopher Street near Seventh Avenue South, was owned by members of the Mafia,” the Times reported. “Inspector Pine later said he conducted the raid on orders from superiors.