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The Resistance Movement of Queer People of Color Essay

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The Resistance Movement of Queer People of Color There is arguably no group that has faced more discrimination in modern society than queer people of color. Although often pushed together into a single minority category, these individuals actually embrace multiple racial and sexual identities. However, they suffer from oppression for being a part of both the ethnic minority and queer communities. As a result, members are abused, harassed, and deprived of equal civil rights in social and economic conditions (Gossett). In response to the multiple levels of discrimination they face in today’s society, queer people of color have turned to the establishment and active participation of support organizations, resources, and policies to advocate…show more content…
One such place was the Stonewall Inn, a bar in Greenwich Village, New York, that was well-known to cater to the poorest local LGBTQ individuals, including prostitutes, drag queens, homeless youth, and lower-class QPOC. Police raids were common around that time, but on June 28, 1969, a group of customers finally had enough of the harassment and broke out in a demonstration. The riots continued for several more nights, growing in intensity each time. These protests eventually started up a conversation within the city, and eventually the nation. Activist groups for the LGBTQ communities were organized in order to combat the gender, race, and socioeconomic oppressions they faced. A few years later, gay rights organizations had sprouted up in practically every single major city in America (“The Leadership Conference”). Unfortunately, although the Stonewall Riots and subsequent demonstrations helped to start a movement for the LGBTQ community, those who also additionally identified as belonging to an ethnic minority group found that their voices were lost in the crowd. The community in which the riots began housed a large population of New York’s African-Americans, especially those who also identified as LGBTQ, as the neighborhoods had become an established safe space for people of all kinds to express themselves (Farrow). The riots were no different from other protests in history that had broken out between white authority
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