A crowd began to gather outside as police loaded some unruly patron into a paddy wagon. The crowd began throwing beer bottles, beer cans and trash cans at the officers. An uprooted parking meter was used to blockade some of the officers inside the notorious gay bar, which was then set on fire with the officers still inside.
 
Reinforcements were called out to rescue the police officers trapped inside, but the rioting continued for two hours, with a total of 12 people arrested and injured police officers. The disturbances at the Stonewall Inn continued for the next four nights..

Yesterday, Barack Obama commemorated the Stonewall riots as an event in which lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendereds "resisted police harassment that had become all too common," triggering the homosexual rights movement in America. Thus, Obama proclaimed June "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month" – just as Bill Clinton did 10 years earlier, marking the same street uprising.

"LGBT Americans have made, and continue to make, great and lasting contributions that continue to strengthen the fabric of American society," Obama said in his proclamation. "There are many well-respected LGBT leaders in all professional fields, including the arts and business communities. LGBT Americans also mobilized the nation to respond to the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic and have played a vital role in broadening this country's response to the HIV pandemic."

He also applauded himself for bring the first president "to appoint openly LGBT candidates to Senate-confirmed positions in the first 100 days of an administration."

"My administration has partnered with the LGBT community to advance a wide range of initiatives," he reminded. "At the international level, I have joined efforts at the United Nations to decriminalize homosexuality around the world. Here at home, I continue to support measures to bring the full spectrum of equal rights to LGBT Americans. These measures include enhancing hate crimes laws , supporting civil unions and federal rights for LGBT couples, outlawing discrimination in the workplace, ensuring adoption rights, and ending the existing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy in a way that strengthens our Armed Forces and our national security. We must also commit ourselves to fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic by both reducing the number of HIV infections and providing care and support services to people living with HIV/AIDS across the United States."

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