Agreed, riots aren't necessary anymore -- but that's only because you're fast-forwarding by nearly 50 years. The anti-DoMA movement, the bathroom bills and all

Agreed, riots aren't necessary anymore -- but that's only because you're fast-forwarding by nearly 50 years. The anti-DoMA movement, the bathroom bills and all the other modern wins are but the culmination of a decades-long process. The prevailing opinion on the LGBT community is that they never would have gotten anywhere near to where they are now (or at least never would have without an unacceptably long wait) without Stonewall (or some similarly cathartic moment). That is, without a moment when those affected came forward to not just demand, but to claim and assert their rights when the situation called for it.