When the gays fought back -” 40 years on from the Stonewall Riots

When the gays fought back -” 40 years on from the Stonewall Riots

AMY HENDERSON
Forty years ago this month, a routine police raid on a gay bar in New York sparked passionate protests that lasted several days and led to the birth of the gay and lesbian rights movement as we know it.

On the night of June 27, 1969, a handful of both undercover and uniformed police officers entered the

Mafia-owned but gay-frequented Stonewall Inn and began arresting patrons. As they were being escorted out of the building and into a waiting police wagon a crowd began to gather and a scuffle broke out.

Opinions differ greatly as to why the crowd decided to fight back on that particular night when similar incidents were commonplace at the time, but one thing was certain, the gays were not taking any more.

As word of what had happened at the Stonewall Inn spread, more and more people flocked to Greenwich Village, and the rioting continued throughout the streets for five nights.

Willamson L Henderson was one of the patrons arrested on June 27 and is a member of the Stonewall Veterans Association, the executive committee of which is made up exclusively of actual participants in the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion.

The people we put on the committee are ones who are active in the community, Henderson said.

We have many other Stonewall vets who are just not active -” we see them maybe once a year, they pay their dues, but the ones on the committee are the more active ones.

While a number of -˜homophile’ organisations (as GLBT groups were known in the 1950s and ’60s) existed pre-Stonewall, the rebellion ignited the idea of activism within the GLBT community.

Activism was pretty dormant. There was a little activity, but not much, and certainly not much in comparison [to after], Henderson said.

To think that in America there might have been five gay organisations before -” and then within a year after Stonewall there were 100, that’s pretty amazing.

While there may still be progress to be made, the GLBT community has come a long way in terms of equality since the 1960s. Henderson feels that while GLBT rights would have come eventually, the road would have been a lot more difficult without the events of June 27, 1969.

It would have happened even more incrementally and it would have been a very delayed process, he said.

If it took 40 years to have gay marriage on the front burner like it is now in America, imagine how long it would have taken if there wasn’t a Stonewall Rebellion.

The very first Gay Pride March made its way through the streets of New York on June 28, 1970 to mark the first anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion. The following year Gay Pride marches took place in Los Angeles, Boston, Dallas, Milwaukee, London, Paris, Berlin, and Stockholm and by 1972 the participating cities included Atlanta, Buffalo, Detroit, Washington DC, Miami, and Philadelphia.

The New York Gay Pride March continues to this day and as every year, the Stonewall Veterans Association (SVA) will be there this month. The SVA’s entry will include both a float and the -˜Stonewall car’, an original 1969, powder-blue, convertible Cadillac that also played a part in the Stonewall Rebellion.

When he was arrested, Henderson admitted that the stunning, brand new Cadillac was indeed his and the police illegally took possession of the car.

The cops illegally impounded it. Which they know, they acknowledge that now. It was like their prize, it was their trophy, he said.

That word came from them; they said it was like their trophy for the Stonewall Rebellion. Except it was someone else’s property. They had no business taking it.

The Stonewall car was eventually returned to its owner and has since played a part in every New York Gay Pride March.

It’s a coincidence that the car happens to be a ’69. I mean it could have been any year ’69 or prior. So it’s the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall car as well, Henderson said.

After the rebellion, the Stonewall Inn experienced an enormous surge in popularity.

The club reopened about a week to ten days after the five nights of rebellion, then the Stonewall became more popular than ever, Henderson said.

They thought that it might not do well because of the stigma or people being afraid. It resumed very quickly and by that autumn, particularly September, October, November, December of ’69, it was just more popular than ever. It was just great.

It closed at the end of ’69. It’s in dispute because the owners of the building either wouldn’t offer them a lease renewal or they wanted too much money.

The building at 53 Christopher St housed several different businesses over the years but was eventually re-opened as a GLBT venue in the 1990s. Henderson still frequents the Stonewall Inn and says it has, for the most part, retained its original ambience.

They’ve redone it and it really looks nice, Henderson said.

Of course it doesn’t have the dance floor, or the dance room next to it because that now belongs to a different business establishment. It would be nice to see them get that back somehow. I think that will happen, I hope it does.

info: The name Stonewall has become synonymous with GLBTI community. Advocacy and rights groups, bars and nightclubs all over the world bear the name. There have been books, plays, documentaries and a feature film made about the Stonewall Rebellion and the whole idea of pride parades and marches started with the rebellion in 1969. In fact some gay pride celebrations, such as those in Munich and Cologne in Germany are known as Christopher Street Day, in reference to the street on which the Stonewall Inn is located.

For more stories, photos and articles about Stonewall, the SVA website offers an amazing and thorough selection: stonewallvets.org

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14 responses to “When the gays fought back -” 40 years on from the Stonewall Riots”

  1. You’re young mate and not very mature or smart for that matter. Comments like that will embarrass you when and if you grow up

  2. Asquith, for your information, It is not any easier for a Gay Person today than it was 40 years ago. If it is any easier, its due to advances in technology. So every time I meet a new man, I have to be thankful to somebody of 40 years back, for what? Some Gay activist who hero worships themselves.

  3. “What did people do back then to make life easier for Gays today?”

    How could you really believe that gays did nothing in the past to make our lives easier today?? Are you joking?? What an offensive thing to say Oliver.

  4. Ray, youll find that the stonewall era was when Homosexuality was illegal and most Guys that dominated the Clubs/Ghettos at the time were the equivalent of “Bruno” and How is it any easier to be Gay in 2009? What did people do back then to make life easier for Gays today?

  5. Tom of Finland was not a cartoon character, he was an illustrator who embodied the ideals and aspirations of many gay men as they consolidated their ghettos and revised their identities in the 70s and 80s. Other people are gay artists who have indelibly stamped the culture of the 20th century and their legacy continues to influence it today. They won you guys the freedom and cultural space you now enjoy. I’m not against freedom, just think knowing your history is important because it saves us from making the same mistakes over and over, and Oliver, Stonewall wont stay 40 years ago, that’s just silly, it will get more distant as time goes on.
    I figure there’ll always be some people who are prepared to defy complacency and reach a bit further, youngsters are thankfully idealistic.
    As for the others, open a book or two, it can’t hurt and libraries don’t cost anything, you might just discover you have have fascinating history full of inspiring characters.

  6. LOL Ray, Don’t you think allot of those people where gay stereotypes too? One of them is an XXX comic character who paraded around wearing skimpy shorts! (Tom of Finland)

    I agree though, most from youre list would be great role models.

  7. Sorry Ray. Stonewall was 40 years ago and should stay 40 years ago. Im 38 years old and dont know those people youve mentioned. Dont care really.

  8. Sorry youngsters but most of you expect everything handed to you. You want role models – you look to the television set. You look to corporate stereotypes of gays in the media to define who you are. It’s not just the meanings of Stonewall that are lost on you, it’s Genet, Wilde, Rimbaud, Bob Mizer, Cecil Beaton, Gore Vidal, Tom of Finland, James Bidgood, Paul Cadmus, Keith Haring, George Platt Lyons, Divine, John Waters, Wayne County, Charles Demouth, Jean Cocteau, von Gloeden, hell even Liberace. But if you think Carson is better, good on ya.
    sssheesh is it so hard to find a book!

  9. Peter, the younger generation have newer ideas. That was an era when homosexuality was illegal, now its not.