On July 4, 1965, a small group of courageous LGBT activists picketed in front of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall. Women wore dresses and men were conservatively clad in suits and ties so they would all appear “normal.” They carried signs that unashamedly demanded equality for gays and lesbians from a society that treated them as criminals and deviants. These public demonstrations, repeated every year until 1969, become the first sustained national effort to focus attention on the discrimination faced by gay people; they were a catalyst for future generations of LGBT Americans to organize for equality. It has been 50 years since the first of these “Reminder Day” protests. In commemoration, the William Way Center is proud to present a series of events, including an exhibit at the National Constitution Center.