The 1960s-1970s
Stonewall
Many years of oppression cultivated itself over and over again until one day, all tension broke. What was just a popular bar amongst homosexuals became ground zero for what would be the spark of great change for the LGBTQ+ community as it was establishing its roots.
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Beginning on Saturday, June 28th, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn; however, this was not the first time a police raid was experienced. Because the Stonewall Inn was believed to have connections to the Italian Mafia, the bar was raided frequently. Along with connections to the Italian Mafia, the bar was a place for homosexuals to meet, and since solicitation for gay sex was illegal, police would frequently raid the bar under this reason [1]. Even though the Stonewall Inn had connections to illegal activity, the reason for these common police raids were more likely to be because of the homosexual tendencies of the Stonewall Inn [1].
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Stonewall by Diana Davies used under CC BY-SA 3.0 US
Normally, the police would be successful in arresting those who violated rules geared against homosexual tendencies, but on this day in 1969, many resisted the attempted arrests. Since this was the first time resistance had been felt, there was now an increased tension felt between the patrons and the officers leading to the riots. Soon there were an estimated 500 to 600 people pushing against the police causing the officers to barricade themselves inside the bar until they could be rescued by backup [1]. Throwing bricks and upturning city property, the customers of the Stonewall Inn represented one of the first examples of resistance towards homosexual discrimination. The next night, thousands of people crowded Stonewall Inn and the streets surrounding the bar to resist the police raid like they had the night before [1].
Stonewall Inn by Monica Roberts used under CC BY-ND 4.0
What was referred to as “The Hairpin Drop Heard Round the World” by the New York Mattachine Society newsletter Stonewall was something that was mostly concentrated to New York and its local newspapers until the following year [2]. Throughout that year, the small ripple effects from Stonewall that expanded past the local newspapers evolved into what would be the basis for the LGBTQ+ community. Mass demonstrations and marches became more frequent as the barrier for this level of momentous change had been broken over the course of a few nights at Stonewall Inn [1].
Activism
Immediately following the events at Stonewall in 1969, organizations such as the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance became the first established groups to fight discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community [3]. What began as groups looking for the roots of a community for homosexuals in a hostile time of American history quickly became powerful entities for demonstrations and expressing beliefs. Eventually, groups such as the Gay Activists Alliance and the Gay Liberation Front attained enough influence to impact legislation. For example, the Gay Activists Alliance was able to secure the passage of the D.C. Human Rights Law which proved to be one of the first legal attempts to prohibit discrimination towards homosexuals in American history [3]. Across the country, groups like the Gay Activists Alliance and the Gay Liberation Front formed and took on the challenges of fighting against the discrimination of homosexuals in American society. Whether it be a sit-in to protest legislature or a mass demonstration on the streets of a metropolitan area, because of the events of Stonewall, the formation of these groups and the newfound power in said groups changed the course of the history of LGBTQ+ community.
Gay Liberation Front is in the public domain
Looking Forward
With the events at Stonewall and the formation of groups that lead the charge in fighting homosexual discrimination, the LGBTQ+ community established its roots for what would happen not only in successive decades but also what would happen up and through today [2]. In the beginning of the 1960’s, the LGBTQ+ community was confined in secrecy and in the privacy behind locked doors. As the 1960’s carried on, the first roots of the LGBTQ+ community began to form as bars like Stonewall welcomed the community in its infancy regardless of the discrimination experienced. With the riots at Stonewall Inn, the LGBTQ+ community entered a phase in history that marked the point of no return as activists groups began outwardly fighting against the injustices experienced by homosexuals [2]. As the LGBTQ+ community entered the 1980’s, much progress had been made on the fight against the intolerance, but many challenges, new and old, still stand in between the LGBTQ+ community and complete freedom in society.
Edmund White -
A Personal Account
In his memoir City Boy, Edmund White, an acclaimed LGBTQ+ writer that often dives into the intricacies of homosexuality in many of his books, recounts his life living in New York both before the events at the Stonewall Inn and after that occurrence. When observing life in New York after the Stonewall Riots occurred and its effects started to create changes, White writes, “And then I was back in New York and the 1970s had finally begun. [My boyfriend] met me at the airport, popped something fun in my mouth, and took me on a tour of all the discos and backroom bars that had opened since Stonewall and my departure. After six or seven months in Italy, starved for sex, I couldn’t believe how unleashed New York had become. For the first time, I realized how much New York gay life had gradually been changing all along. Now it seemed as if ten times more gays than ever before were on the streets. With ten times as many gay bars. After the furtiveness of feeling up married men in the Roman cinemas, here were go-go boys dancing under spotlights and hordes of attractive young men crowding into small backrooms” [5].
The Newest Edmund White Book by Jeffrey Bell used under CC-BY
References
1. "The Stonewall Riots: June 28, 1969." Global Events: Milestone Events Throughout History, edited by Jennifer Stock, vol. 6: North America, Gale, 2014. U.S. History In Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/UEMNFP167694742/UHIC?u=butleru&sid=UHIC&xid=3e91d479. Accessed 9 Apr. 2018.
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2. White, Heather R. “BORN AGAIN AT STONEWALL.” Reforming Sodom: Protestants and the Rise of Gay Rights, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 2015, pp. 138–170. JSTOR. www.jstor.org/stable/10.5149/9781469624129_white.10.
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3. "Gay Activists Alliance." Civil Rights in the United States, edited by Waldo E. Martin, Jr. and Patricia Sullivan, Macmillan Reference USA, 2000. U.S. History In Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/BT2338230807/UHIC?u=butleru&sid=UHIC&xid=f5899ca3. Accessed 23 Apr. 2018.
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4. White, Edmund. City Boy. New York, Bloomsbury, 2009.
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5. Background "Stonewall Protest" Contributions to http://ronanasixties.wikispaces.com/ are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 License.