Original sentence: They are frequently cited as the first instance in American history when people in the homosexual community fought back against a government-sponsored system that persecuted sexual minorities, and they have become the defining event that marked the start of the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world
Edited sentence: They are frequently cited as the first instance in American history when people in the homosexual community fought back against a government-sponsored system that outlawed homosexual behavior, and they have become the defining event that marked the start of the so-called gay rights movement in the United States and around the world