Stonewall Riots: The Struggle For Gay Rights

This investigation assesses the New York City Stonewall Riots of 1969, concerning their influence on the rise of the modern gay rights movement, specifically regarding political emergence, social unity, and demographic shifts. The investigation will attempt to answer the following question: To what extent were the Stonewall Riots of 1969 a catalyst for the LGBT social movement in America?

The Stonewall Inn was a gay bar in New York City and it was the starting place of the Gay Liberation Movement. In the 1970s gay men and lesbians started wanting equality because they faced lots of legal discrimination. They didn’t have equal rights because they couldn’t even have consensual sex with their partners and it was illegal in almost all states. So in 1969 police raided the Stonewall Inn and gay men fought the police and proclaimed “Gay Power.” This event caused riots between the New York City police and all the gay residents.

If I were to ask you what was the Stonewall riots and when did they take place, could you tell me? Well, no need because that is the exact reason why I’m writing this paper. In order to better inform you, my peers of what happened, where they took place, and why they are so important to American history. The 1960’s were not a welcoming time for those who fell into the LGBT community, ally or not. So those in the community who were affected came together and turned Inns into a place of refuge. Therefore, the Stonewall Riots were an important event in American History because it brought to the attention of the people; social injustices, police corruption, and sparked a social movement for peace and rights for all.

Early in the morning of June 28, 1969, the habitual bar raids continued to occur in the streets of New York. However, one raid soon took a different turn compared to all the previous raids. The LGBT community had enough and decided to take a stand against the unjust acts of the New York Police Department, which would forever change LGBT history. The Stonewall Riots were preceded by several years of mistreatment, and began when a beloved gay bar was raided; this created a major impact on LGBT rights and activism.

The next major event was the birth of the movement, The Stonewall Riots, which was the mother of all LGBT-themed associates and groups. There have been a large number of eyewitness accounts, articles and stories of how the riot began and ended, as well as what it immediately brought about. People began to start doing “radical” acts, one man decided to begin writing his college papers in terms of having a prominent gay

The conditions faced by queer people leading up to the stonewall riots were appalling. Laws and Statutes made it legal to discriminate against LGBT+ individuals based on dress and behavior and to limit other basic freedoms as well. In the 50’s and 60’s, 49 of 50 states in the United States had some form of law that stated homosexuality was illegal and was punishable by fines or imprisonment (Staff). Up until 1987, homosexuality was considered a mental illness in the DSM (American Classification of Mental Disorders). In following, it was illegal to serve gay people alcohol in New York City up until 1966, thirty three years after prohibition was repealed (History). Under the statement that the gathering

The Stonewall Riots in 1969 taught homosexuals that it was important to create and maintain a visible, out of the closet, LGBT counterculture that was inseparable from other underrepresented groups (Rimmerman, 24). This was the goal of most LGBT activism after the riots. This was done with grassroots organizing. As Harvey Milk said, "We must continue to educate" (The Times of Harvey Milk). It was the job of each and every homosexual to come

There are certainly various points in history that can be construed as trailblazing for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. One event in particular, however, sparked awareness and a call to action that previously could never have been conceptualized in the United States. This unforgettable incident, the Stonewall riots of 1969, altered the public’s view of the gay community and arguably jumpstarted the next revolution in an entirely new civil rights movement.

During the mid 1900’s, New York City’s queer citizens were discriminated against and faced an anti-gay system. The Stonewall Uprisings were a set of raids and riots in the 1960’s that took place for six days involving thousands of people in Greenwich Village. They were the result of hundreds of years of discrimination and violence against gay and transgender people in America as well as the influence of new thinkers like the writers of the “Beat Generation” who were trying to express their individuality and unconventional thinking. Because of this movement, gay liberation and the fight for modern LGBT rights in the United States changed. Activist groups formed and were inspired to find safe places for them to express their sexual orientation

club located in New York, known as the ‘Stonewall Inn’ turned violent. Outside, hundreds of protesters and sympathizers began rioting against the sudden police force. While the NYPD had been justified in closing down the club, the events which would follow over the next six days would go on to spark revolution, and establish the LGBT movement for gay civil rights. It is inevitably because of these protests that the LGBT community has the rights and freedom that they have today. However, the Stonewall Riots are not as recognized as a copious amount of protests and revolts, and are a severely underrated historical event, which resulted in the removal of

The Stonewall Protests were a series of riots fighting for gay rights in New York City in 1969. The riots at the bar were a major starting point for the fight for equality in the United States. Through the brave citizens who fought for their rights to be equal to everyone else, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, + (LGBTQ+) are so much evident in today’s society. LGBTQ+ rights are not avoided anymore due to the fight for everyone to be created equal, just like what the constitution states. The Stonewall Protests have affected LGBTQ+ rights today because gay marriage is now legal and accepted in the U.S, kids in the LGBTQ+ community can live in a safer environment, and 200 U.S. cities have banned gender identity discrimination.

The 1950's were in fact the turning point of change. `The Mattachine Foundation', later re-named `The Mattachine Society', was one of the earliest gay organisations set up by Harry Hay in 1950. It's aim was to raise consciousness among gay men, challenge anti-gay discrimination and build a positive homosexual community and culture. This proved nothing less than an arduous struggle with much opposition, illustrated by the infamous `Stonewall' night. A night that set America alight with gay rights and conflicts. The name `Mattachine' was meant to symbolise that fact that "gays were a masked people, unknown and anonymous." This illustrates the traditional 1950's attitude towards homosexuality; the problem was thought to cease to exist if ignored. Homosexuals were un-natural, sacrilegious, and in need of control and subjugation.

Looking back throughout history at the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender individuals, it isn’t hard to see that we have made the majority of our strides in the past 10 years. As a society we have decided the time is now to put an end to the lack of rights for people of different sexual orientations. Accepting LGBT individuals and providing them the same rights and protections as all other Americans makes us a more united, respectable Country. Everyone deserves equal treatment and opportunities regardless of what their sexual orientation may be.

One of the greatest poets of the twentieth century, Dr Seuss, once said, "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind". Essentially, this advice is applicable to any given individual, yet it seems that it is most suitable for homosexuals, and therefore why it lies within the heart of gay rights. It is inevitable, that as a minority group, homosexuals will find that they will encounter more people who “mind” than heterosexuals. This particular discrimination has been occurring for decades all across the globe; however it became prominent in the United States in the 1950s. In 1953, under President Eisenhower, it was decided that homosexuality was a sufficient enough reason in itself to fire people from federal jobs. This executive order stood from 1953 until 1993, providing support to the idea that discrimination in employment ranked as the worst type of persecution gay people faced at the time, second only to physical assault. Throughout the 1950s and well into the 1960s, both lesbian and male drag queens suffered from frequent rapes and sexual assaults committed by police officers. Further, those same police officers were certainly no help when gays were being abused and raped by other hateful individuals. It was not until June 28, 1969 that a group of gay customers at the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in Greenwich Village, finally took a stand against the police harassment and created a riot. The

In the 1960’s, gay and lesbian people struggled to fit in society. In fact, homosexuality was not allowed at all, it was against the law. The only way people could perform homosexual acts, was if it was in secret. Homosexuals were not accepted in society and all they wanted was to be able to love one another. Some people took a stand for what they wanted and the Student Homophile League at Columbus University New York, the first known gay student organization, was created. Within 10 years, almost eight hundred homosexual organizations were created. Very little things were done to help homosexuals, but in 1965, Frank Kameny of Washington, DC, organized regular Homosexual Reminder Days on the ellipse across from the White House. Their main goal was the employment of gays and lesbians in the federal civil service ( Gay liberation movements). Gay and lesbian people were often threatened and arrested during the gay liberation movement. Every night, officers would raid gay bars and sometimes arresting dozens of men and women, but one night at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, some of the gays fought