A Riot That Changed Things

I used to have an essay question on the take-home final for my Intercultural Communication class that asked students to select an event in time that changed our culture--how it changed culture, how it changed communication between us, how it effected our relationships.  I gave them choices like Watergate, Vietnam War, Civil Rights Movement, Women's Movement, as well as events like the California grape fields strike in 1965 and the fall of the Berlin Wall.  Each choice had a major impact on our lives and how we see the world.

Very few events can be seen as a specific turning point in history.  More often the changes take time, rolling along together until TaDa!  Change!  But there are some events in our history that are the defining moments of change.  The Stonewall Riots is one such event.

In 1969, it was illegal to be outwardly gay.  It was illegal to dress in clothing that isn't appropriate for your gender.  It was illegal to gather together, dance together, kiss...it was illegal to be gay.  Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, NY was a bar and restaurant...a well known gay club.  Gay clubs and bars were places of refuge where people could express themselves openly and socialize without worry. However, the New York State Liquor Authority penalized and shut down establishments that served alcohol to known or suspected LGBT individuals, arguing that the mere gathering of homosexuals was “disorderly.” 

But the Stonewall Inn, as with many other gay clubs in Greenwich Village, was mafia-owned.  They tagged their bars as a "bottle bar" where people brought their own liquor; thus, no need to a liquor license.  Also, the owners bribed officers to ignore the activities within the club.

Without police interference, the crime family could cut costs how they saw fit: The club lacked a fire exit, running water behind the bar to wash glasses, clean toilets that didn’t routinely overflow, and palatable drinks that weren’t watered down beyond recognition.  Nonetheless, Stonewall Inn quickly became an important Greenwich Village institution. It was large and relatively cheap to enter. It welcomed drag queens, who received a bitter reception at other gay bars and clubs.

On June 28, 1969, NY City police raided Stonewall Inn.  This wasn't anything new.  It was raided often, even with corrupt officer payoffs and those officers would tip-off the owners that a raid was coming and the booze and other illegal activities could be hidden.  

But this raid was different.  There was no tip-off.  Armed with a warrant, police officers entered the club, roughed up patrons, and, finding bootlegged alcohol, arrested 13 people, including employees and people violating the state’s gender-appropriate clothing statute.

As people were being hit over the head with billy clubs and dragged off into paddy wagons, the crowd watching were shocked.  One woman, bleeding and beaten, yelled out to the crowd, "DO SOMETHING!"  The crowd begin throwing pennies, bottles, cobble stones, and other objects at the police.  Within minutes a full-blown riot involving hundreds of people began.

It lasted five days.  Just as it would start to settle down, another segment would flare up.  The Village Voice, first simply reporting the events of the riot, would inflame readers and the anger would bubble-up.

Following the riot, the media began to report events and issues surrounding LGBT people.  It changed our views, our way of seeing others.  It wasn't a start of the Gay Rights Movement, but it was a great force behind political action.  

The first Gay Pride Parade was held in 1970.  It wasn't a party like it is today, but a political movement.  Without Stonewall Riots, it may have taken many years longer to begin.

And so we go
peace~~~