Stonewall Riots of 1969 | Teen Ink

Stonewall Riots of 1969

July 1, 2016
By JennaRoseRubino SILVER, Pequannock, New Jersey
JennaRoseRubino SILVER, Pequannock, New Jersey
8 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Failure is my teacher, not my judge"


There are various periods in time where distinct types of humans were not acknowledged for the way they are or the person they were born to be. In the 1960’s, males and females who were openly homosexual were segregated by society. The Stonewall Riots were the origin of LGBT. Then we will know from that point on Pride. The impact of this anarchy was incredibly world changing. The main place that starts this whole historical event is the Stonewall Inn.


To begin, many people may know what the Stonewall Inn is but do not know it’s wrong it’s true roots. The legendary building was a gay bar located on 51 Christopher Street, Green Village, New York City.  On March 18, 1967, the Stonewall opened in the space. It was, during it’s time, the largest gay establishment in the U.S. and did a very satisfying business, although, as with most gay clubs at the time, police raids were common. Stonewall Inn was operated by the mafia. The bar served water-downed drinks without a liquor license. The Stonewall Inn was, however, one of the only places gay people in New York City could socialize, providing a rare haven where they could drink, dance to the jukebox, and be themselves.


In continuation, around the 1960’s, homosexuality was not expressed as blatantly as today. New York city need cap had laws prohibiting homosexuality in public. New York beholded the largest gay population. The American Psychiatric Association still classified homosexuality as a mental disorder. Homosexual people received almost universal moral judgement from mainstream religions. New York had the most aggressively upheld anti-sodomy laws. New York created police vice squads to raid gay establishments, and began using human? decoys and to not and capture gays. In the year of 1966, over 100 men a week were arrested as a result of this effort. Raids of gay organizations were a part of the weekly life also with shakedowns or owners and customers known as ‘’gayola’’. list In NYC and other cities, it was illegal to serve an alcoholic beverage to a table where homosexuals were seated together. Homosexuals could have faced a fine, overnight lockup, and often having their name printed in the newspaper,  also with a record of “criminal” activity.


Obviously, these laws against human rights of homosexuals, made them who? Say again awfully enraged. June 28, 1968, employees at the Stonewall Inn had grown angry at the harassment by police, took a stand and a riot broke out.  As word spread throughout the city about the demonstration, the customers of the inn were soon joined by other gay men and women who started throwing objects at the policemen, shouting "gay power." Customers at the Stonewall opposed arrest fb and the police quickly lost control of the situation. A crowd gathered on the street outside the Stonewall, charging police to barricade themselves in the bar. Patrons fought back with “uncharacteristic fury and violence.” Crowds of strangers outside the bar saw the struggles with increasing disturbance, and eventually joined in as well, throwing coins, stones, and bottles at the officer's. Riot officers wearing helmets and armed with nightsticks descended on the scene. The violent protests and demonstrations, that were created that night, went on for almost a week.When the police were forced to go into the bar, patrons even tried to set it on fire.


Lastly, years after the violence of that night, the world changed immensely for the LGBT community. Although the Stonewall riots cannot be said to have proposed the gay rights movement as such, it did serve as a motivation for a new generation of political involvement. The riots inspired LGBT people throughout the country to organize in support of gay rights, and within two years after the riots, gay rights groups had been started in nearly every major city in the United States. The broad-based radical activism of many gay men and women in the 1970s eventually set into motion a new, nondiscriminatory trend in government policies and helped educate society regarding this significant minority. Today, LGBT organizations encourage students to learn more about the Stonewall Riots and other crucial events in LGBT history. It is essential to continue raising awareness about these and other historical LGBT milestones, as they set the foundation for LGBT people working towards equality today. It was not until the twenty fifth anniversary of Stonewall that Gay Pride organizing committees saw fit to include the transgender community in the remembrance of that day, a day in which they were the target for arrests. The Stonewall Riots led to the arrangement of many gay rights groups, most notably the Gay Liberation Front, and the annual commemoration of the event led to today’s Gay Pride Parades held every June around the world. Stonewall soon became a symbol of resistance to social and political discrimination that would inspire agreement among homosexual groups for decades. In the final analysis, the courageous citizens that fought for their rights in the Stonewall Riots changed the world


The author's comments:

My enlgish teacher assigned my class to wirte about a time period or past event that you would want to go back an experience. I chose to speak about the Stonewall Riots because LGBT Pride is something that I strongly support and it was a moment in history that changed America.


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