While Stonewall was the event that galvanized the LGBT rights movement, there were many organizations advocating for equality before the first brick was thrown.
Two of the most famous are the Mattachine Society, founded in 1950 to support gay men, and the Daughters of Bilitis, founded in 1955 for lesbians. Both organizations no longer exist. When they were active, LGBT people were considered mentally ill and couldn’t hold certain types of jobs. I’m sure many members of both groups were forced to remain in the closet.
The people who came forward publicly were remarkably brave and deserve our respect and gratitude.
Check out “The Deviant’s War” by Eric Cervini to learn more about the Mattachine Society and its founder, Frank Kameny.