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Stonewall Riots

Quote :

"Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and police departments kept lists of known homosexuals, their favored establishments, and friends; the U.S. Postal Service kept track of addresses where material pertaining to homosexuality was mailed.[9] State and local governments followed suit: bars catering to homosexuals were shut down, and their customers were arrested and exposed in newspapers. Cities performed "sweeps" to rid neighborhoods, parks, bars, and beaches of gays. They outlawed the wearing of opposite gender clothes, and universities expelled instructors suspected of being homosexual.[10] Thousands of gay men and lesbians were jailed, fired, or institutionalized in mental hospitals. Many lived double lives, keeping their private lives secret from their professional ones."

Quote :

"By the early 1960s, a campaign to rid New York City of gay bars was in full effect by order of Mayor Robert F. Wagner, Jr., who was concerned about the image of the city in preparation for the 1964 World's Fair. The city revoked the liquor licenses of the bars, and undercover police officers worked to entrap as many homosexual men as possible.[28] Entrapment usually consisted of an undercover officer who found a man in a bar or public park, engaged him in conversation; if the conversation headed toward the possibility that they might leave together—or the officer bought the man a drink—he was arrested for solicitation. One story in the New York Post described an arrest in a gym locker room, where the officer grabbed his crotch, moaning, and a man who asked him if he was all right was arrested.[29] Few lawyers would defend cases as undesirable as these, and some of them kicked back their fees to the arresting officer."

Quote :

"Police raids on gay bars were frequent—occurring on average once a month for each bar... Women were required to wear three pieces of feminine clothing, and would be arrested if found not wearing them."

Quote :

"The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. They are frequently cited as the first instance in American history when gays and lesbians fought back against a government-sponsored system that persecuted homosexuals, and they have become the defining event that marked the start of the modern gay rights movement in the United States and around the world. American gays and lesbians in the 1950s and 1960s faced a legal system more anti-homosexual than some Iron Curtain countries.[2][note 1] Early homophile groups in the U.S. sought to prove that gay people could be assimilated into society, and they favored non-confrontational education for homosexuals and heterosexuals alike. The last years of the 1960s, however, were very contentious, as many social movements were active, including the African American Civil Rights Movement, the Counterculture of the 1960s, and antiwar demonstrations. These influences, along with the liberal environment of Greenwich Village, served as catalysts for the Stonewall riots. Very few establishments welcomed openly gay people in the 1950s and 1960s. Often these were bars, although bar owners and managers were rarely gay. The Stonewall Inn, at the time, was owned by the Mafia.[3][4] It catered to an assortment of patrons, but it was known to be popular with the most marginalized people in the gay community: transvestites, effeminate young men, hustlers, and homeless youth. Police raids on gay bars were routine in the 1960s, but officers quickly lost control of the situation at the Stonewall Inn, and attracted a crowd that was incited to riot. Tensions between New York City police and gay residents of Greenwich Village erupted into more protests the next evening, and again several nights later. Within weeks, Village residents quickly organized into activist groups to concentrate efforts on establishing places for gays and lesbians to be open about their sexual orientation without fear of being arrested."

-wiki

I think thanks to the Milk movie that more people know about the White Night Riotsfrom about 30 years ago that happened after Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, & San Francisco’s mayor were assassinated & their murderer was acquitted on the murder & only found guilty of voluntary manslaughter for which he only served 5 years, than about the Stonewall Riots which happened about 40 years ago & mark the beginning of the modern gay rights movement so it was at least worth noting today's anniversary date.

6/28/2009 8:57:23 AM

Quote :

"One story in the New York Post described an arrest in a gym locker room, where the officer grabbed his crotch, moaning, and a man who asked him if he was all right was arrested.[29] Few lawyers would defend cases as undesirable as these, and some of them kicked back their fees to the arresting officer.""

Now thats just fucked up. Would this not be entrapment?

6/28/2009 12:36:33 PM

gay

6/28/2009 12:44:04 PM

^^ Yes. That's why it was included in the paragraph about entrapment.

6/28/2009 2:01:53 PM

the article makes it sound like the riots started because they were at the bar to round up homosexuals. they were at the bar to round up people who were serving illegal liquor without permits (mob run bar) and some of the gay people who frequented the bar started throwing objects at the police. it eventually got more violent (and also more gay, they made lewd comments at the police and started a chorus line) and they tore apart the building where the cops had barricaded themselves.

of course they didn't have a liquor license because of the reason the entry mentions, but the riot was not started by entrapment

also, many people in the gay community were upset about the actions of the younger gay community in regards to the stonewall riots, some felt that there actions were in poor taste and would result in a backlash that would hurt their cause a lot more than it would help.

6/28/2009 5:20:24 PM

Yep, SF Pride is held on the last weekend of June to commemorate the riots. And of course there's no better way to honor a bona fide civil rights movement than to invite hundreds of thousands of tourists to come trash an entire neighborhood of our fair city.

It's funny, really, I saw a lot of signs over the weekend that said that banning gay marriage is a form of gay bashing. Seriously ... one can look at it in context, as being a sign of astounding progress from the time of the Stonewall Riots, that today not allowing gay people to endure the horrors of traditional marriage is "bashing" them. But personally I think it reflects the same lack of perspective that fuels the pride event itself.

If people really understood what the riots were about, and in particular what the real gay bashing was that took place systematically at all levels of government, that we overcame -- then pride wouldn't be a big party, it'd be a very solemn event, as it probably ought to be.

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance, not eternal activism or eternal partying. The people who oppose gay marriage today are bashers, but not because denying marriage equality itself is itself so horrible. The real crime, the real menace, is the reactionary spirit, that very many of those people who pass amendments to ban gay marriage, would just as well reinstate the regime of systematic discrimination if they had a chance. And that's just plain scary.

6/29/2009 10:10:37 PM

Obama's speech yesterday about the anniversary & the gay rights movement:

6/30/2009 3:27:37 PM

Quote :

"If people really understood what the riots were about, and in particular what the real gay bashing was that took place systematically at all levels of government, that we overcame -- then pride wouldn't be a big party, it'd be a very solemn event, as it probably ought to be."

There isn't just one way to fight for a cause. If it were a struggle for race-based equality, then definitely have a solemn event. However, this is a counter-culture struggle for sexual freedom. A celebration seems fully appropriate. I wouldn't be surprised if some Stonewall Riot vets were partying in DC.

Are you just mad because your town is overrun with homo tourists?

6/30/2009 4:56:40 PM