Why Pride Month is celebrated annually in June

June 1 marks the start of Pride Month.

Pride Month is celebrated annually in June because it commemorates the 1969 riots near the Stonewall Inn bar in New York City.

On June 28, 1969, the bar, located on Christopher Street, was raided by New York City police officers because it was unlicensed. According to The Associated Press, they were ordered to stop illegal alcohol sales.

According to Baruch College, N.Y. State Liquor Authority often refused liquor licenses to bars catering to gay customers.

The AP reported that people fought with officers and objects were thrown.

A New York Times article said approximately 200 men were thrown out of the bar.

The riots ended on July 3.

Not long after the raid, the original bar closed. The current Stonewall Inn opened in the early ’90s, the AP reported.

By Sarah Dewberry, Scripps National.