The late sixties, Prohibition is in place as well as laws against homosexuality (in New York City, at least). Homophobic and outright anti-gay feelings were widespread, especially among police. Very few establishments were friendly to openly gay patrons, and those that were were mostly straight owned bars. (Speakeasies, to be correct, seeing as alcohol was illegal at the time.) Homosexuality was considered highly immoral, and drinking was being banished to the same category, often putting the two together in underground or illegal establishments; police raids were not uncommon, even if they could be easily bought off with bribes, or tricked. Sometimes the police would tip off their raid target and things would be easy, but other times many would be arrested and liquor seized by the barrel.
Stonewall Inn was located in Greenwich Village, New York City, an area home to a decently sized gay community. It was owned by Mafia members, or so says wikipedia, for I didn't know that many details about its ownership, and it was a bit different than other 'speakeasies' of the time, if you could even call Stonewall that. It was a dance club, a gay dance club, at that. Transvestites, gays, cross-dressers, homeless men from the nearby park and a few lesbians, too, were all allowed in for a low entry fee as long as they looked 18 (the legal drinking age, then), gay, and as long as they didn't look like cops. Stonewall had crazy lights, like a dance club that you'd recognize, and it was dark and filled with (mostly) men and alcohol. Since police raids were common, there were many adjustments made to the bars. The colored lights that flickered through the dark with the dancing were easily switched to normal lights for police raids, and there was a book in which people had to sign their (usually not their real) names upon entry. Each person paid admission when the bouncer recognized them as okay, only three dollars, and they were allowed two tickets to be exchanged for drinks. And, then, dancing was free at Stonewall and there was a room in the back for transvestites, always dressed in men's clothing, though, for cross-dressers could be arrested.
Police raids, as alluded to several times, were common on gay bars at the time, and... Stonewall had come to be known as "the gay bar in the city." So, not surprisingly, raids were common there, too. Sometimes the police would tip off the owners of the bar, and things could go on without incident, but other times, things went a little less smoothly for the raided. Alcohol was always seized, though usually there was backup, and people without identification at the bar were arrested, along with cross-dressers. Standard procedure had been to line the patrons up, check their identification, and assure that all persons wearing female clothing were, in fact, female, and if not, they were arrested. On June 28th, however, things didn't go according to procedure.
Not.
One.
Bit.
This day? This day they fought back. People began refusing to go with female police officers to have their genders checked. They didn't hand over their identification when demanded to. Windows were barred for those who tried to escape the sneakily planned raid, and the police decided to (try to) take all the patrons to the police station. Things, however, got out of hand and some police officers were already over the line. Those who weren't present at the time were released from the bar, but they didn't leave quickly, not this time. The police awaited more cars to take the people and alcohol to the station, and crowds began to gather outside Stonewall, watching the already beginning abuses.
Hostilities in the crowd grew, people screamed "Gay Power!" and sang songs like, "We Shall Overcome," as transvestites were shoved about, fighting back with their purses, and crowds booed the police. The large crowd was largely gay, and they weren't standing for this. People began throwing things at the wagons now being loaded with people from the bar, and rumors of people being beaten still inside the bar grew. Scuffles began, the most noted, which is said to have spurred the epic events of the evening, is one of an unknown woman. She fought her handcuffs and four cops as she tried to avoid the police wagon awaiting and, it's said, as she was thrown in the wagon she looked at the crowds, saying, "Why don't you guys do something?" Which they proceeded to do, the crowd going berserk.
People began throwing coins, garbage cans, beer bottles and even bricks and rocks at the windows of the building, the people in the wagons were able to escape as cops left them unattended, and the riot continued and escalated to even include a battering ram to the door. On wikipedia, a quote from a newsletter gives insight to why this raid was so heavily fought, "It catered largely to a group of people who are not welcome in, or cannot afford, other places of homosexual social gathering.... The Stonewall became home to these kids. When it was raided, they fought for it. That, and the fact that they had nothing to lose other than the most tolerant and broadminded gay place in town, explains why." Stonewall mattered to people, and finally they fought for what mattered to them instead of continuing to be walked on by the police and their injustices.
Demonstrations grew and grew and the police could do little to nothing to disperse the crowds, and it escalated so far that another police force was called to get the police out from inside Stonewall, where they had been trapped by the riots. The crowds openly mocked the police as they tried in vain to disperse crowds and force people back into the wagons. The crowds had turned into kicklines; kicklines singing and mocking the police still, in vain, trying to defeat them.
To no avail, though. Stonewall was a momentous event, the riots spurring indescribable changes to society. Namely, that is, the start of a gay rights movement, and eventually, Gay Pride day... Today. That one day, the first time the gay community stood up, the first time they fought back, changed how WE live today, gay straight, trans, all of us.
So, go ahead. Show a little pride today. =]
Read up on the Stonewall Riots on wikipedia or just google it; an interesting and momentous event.
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