The Stonewall Riots were violent and spontaneous protests against a police raid at the Stonewall Inn of Greenwich Village in New York City. The protesters were members of the gay community, who opposed the discrimination against homosexuals. Of course, at the time, cultural views on homosexuality were even more conservative than they are now.
The raid consisted of female police officers starting a lineup to check the identities of the patrons and if they were dressed as women, they would be taken to the bathroom to check their sex. If they were men dressed as women (cross-dressers), they’d be arrested on the spot. Pretty intrusive, no? But instead of following this standard procedure, the police officers decided that they would take all the patrons that were present to the police station. At this point, both the police and the patrons felt an unsettling sense of danger looming.
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| The only photo of that first night, the patrons fight back against the police |
After the alcohol at the bar began to be transported, a crowd outside began to form. The passersby began to feel animosity towards the police officers and after a lesbian woman in handcuffs was beaten with a baton, the crowd went berserk.
Although there was never any official speaking done, the bystanders that had watched the scene unfold began to riot. The folk singer Dave Van Ronk began to take part in the protest as well, claiming that-although he was not gay himself-he had experienced police violence when he participated in anti-war protests and wanted to “stand up to the cops”. The incredible thing about this riot was that it wasn’t organized. Few of those who joined in on the demonstration were even homosexual themselves, but the turbulent changes and revolution of the era all seemed to come to a head, and in some unspoken way, they all felt compelled to take part in the demonstration.
Michael Fader explained,”All kinds of people, all different reasons, but mostly it was total outrage, anger, sorrow, everything combined, and everything just kind of ran its course.”
Garbage, rocks, and bricks were thrown at the Stonewall Inn by members of the queer community as a way to “tell off” the owners of the bar (the Mafia) for their discrimination. Though the series of riots only lasted a day, it was a huge marking period for the gay liberation movement. Since then, the Stonewall Riots have become a literal symbol of the queer community fighting back against an oppressive time, when queers were looked down upon.
Though what the police did was all for purpose of anti-homosexualism, it sparked just the opposite: Pride marches were started on the one-year anniversary of the police raid and two gay activist organizations were formed in New York.
And 42 years later, same-sex marriage was legalized in the state of New York. Ironic, much? I really connected with this protest, as a straight ally and on a more fundamentally human level. The fact that these people were fighting for acceptance was jarring and saddening, but maybe even empowering. While homophobia and discrimination is still a huge problem, we’re moving forward. I like to think that Freddie Mercury would be proud. Photo source: http://www.stageandcinema.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/stonewall-uprising-police-push.jpg
Bibliography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_riots
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