1969 proved to be one of the biggest years for sexual revolution. It was a decade devoted to advocacy for change through: love, peace and for some, riots. Despite the many positive changes shining through darker days, some movements started from an intolerance of constant harassment. Have 50 years drastically changed taboos, controversies and unfair treatment? Perhaps we have taken steps forward; but only through a brutal history of discrimination. The biggest question remaining is; have we done enough?
Stonewall was among the few safe places in the world for drag queens, gays and transgender people alike. It was a beacon of hope for anyone who entered, because there was, and has since remained; a feeling of belonging. It created a space for people to meet others, dream upon a wishing well and dance their worries away.
The night of the Stonewall Riots, feelings of safety were infringed upon; sadly, this wasn’t the first time. It was still illegal to be queer in 49 states, which meant hand-holding, kissing, and dancing were illegal and seen as ‘disorderly’. Laws also targeted transgender and gender non-conforming folx wearing “non-gender appropriate clothing.” Any of these “offenses” made these individuals vulnerable to imprisonment, violence and even murder.
On the morning of June 28th, 1969, history took a first step for Lesbian, Gay and transgendered people; but it didn’t come from a parade. The Stonewall Inn was raided by 9 officers arresting both patrons and bartenders. After an officer hit a lesbian in the head to force her into the police van, the crowd rallied for the victim’s freedom; growing by the hundreds.
Many believe the riot was officiated when Marsha P. Johnson threw a brick through the Stonewall’s front window. Johnson was a trans-woman of color who advocated for: the trans community, women, people of color and the AIDS epidemic. She is a hero to many L.G.B.T.Q people across the world for her fight towards a better future.
Among the crowd was Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt. Schmidt was a regular at the Stonewall and was accustomed to police raids. He wrote a letter about the ordeal in 1989 titled 1969 Mother Stonewall and the Golden Rats*. In his story, he recalls the intrusion in the place he called “home”:
“That night Betty Badge got carried away. It was not only a raid but a bust. Mother Stonewall was being violated. They forcibly entered her with nightsticks. The lights went on. It wasn’t a pretty sight (how would children feel seeing their mother raped right before their eyes? Their home broken into and looted!? The music box broken. The dancing stopped. The replicated wishing well smashed?) No, this wasn’t a 1960’s student riot. Out there were the streets. There were no nice dorms for sleeping. No school cafeteria for certain food. No affluent parents to send us checks. [This] was a ghetto riot on home turf. We already had our war wounds, so this was just another battle. Nobody thought of it as history, Herstory, My-story, your-story or our-story. We were being denied a place to dance together. That’s all. The total charisma of a revolution in our consciousness rising from the gutter to the gut to the heart and the mind was here.”
One year following the uprising, thousands of queers and allies took to the streets to commemorate the fallen. It was also a reminder to all; we were uniting towards a prejudice-free nation. It was not just a celebration of pride, but a resistance against further oppression and animosity. Living in the shadows and staying silent in fear wasn’t going to be tolerated.
2019 marks the 50-year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Every June, families around the world come together to continue the fight towards equality and to celebrate progression. Gay marriage is finally legal in just over 25 countries. We still have a long way to go, but because of the brave individuals who came together 50 years ago; there are thousands of people able to live out and proudly.
There is still a large portion of the community who have not seen justice yet: queer people of color, immigrants and the trans community. These communities are under served, undervalued and often the victims of deplorable treatment in systems, governments and society. Trans-women are losing their lives at an alarming rate. Transgendered people are no longer permitted to serve in our military. Immigrants are being stripped of their rights, homes and families. People of color are being killed at the hands of police brutality along with feeling their lives are still disregarded. Most unfortunate of all, these communities feel like they struggle for a voice, even under the roof they should feel safest; the queer umbrella. The community will only be at its strongest when all queer folxs are recognized and accepted. When we don’t stand up for all of our brothers and sisters: we fail each other and ourselves. When we alienate ourselves, we confuse those we are teaching, thus furthering bias from the straight, cis and white-washed world.
Despite internal conflict, the community is quick to rise together when equality is challenged. Not 4 days after pride month began, “straight-pride” in Boston became a viral conversation. Some heterosexuals feel they are being overlooked and want to celebrate their own sexuality. The queer community was quick to fire back, reminding the heteronormative world the significance of Pride. Pride means liberation from the chains of hate. It is not just a global celebration painted rainbow; it is recognizing our steps forward, paying respect to the dead, and addressing rights we still need corrected.
Regardless of your sexuality, race, gender or age, make sure you know your history. We grow stronger through knowing what has kept us down in the past and what has pushed us to the forefront of the battlefield. We have taken steps forward, but ultimately, we have not accomplished enough. We will only truly succeed when we all have equal opportunity and visibly ban together. This is neither the beginning nor the end of a revolution of love.
- 1969 Mother Stonewall and the Golden Rats. Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt. 1989.
