Stonewall riots  

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 +[[Image:Stonewall Inn 1969.jpg|thumb|200px|alt=A black and white photograph of The Stonewall Inn, showing half of a sign that was placed in the window by the Mattachine Society several days following the riots|The Stonewall Inn, taken September 1969. The sign in the window reads: "We homosexuals plead with our people to please help maintain peaceful and quiet conduct on the streets of the Village—[[Mattachine]]".]]
{{Template}} {{Template}}
-{{GFDL}}+:''[[riot]]''
 +The '''Stonewall riots''' were a series of violent conflicts between [[New York City]] [[police]] officers and groups of [[gay]] and [[transgender]] people that began during the early morning of [[June 28]], [[1969]], and lasted several days. Also called the '''Stonewall Rebellion''' or simply '''Stonewall''', the clash was a watershed for the worldwide [[gay rights movement]], as gay and transgender people had never before acted together in such large numbers to forcibly resist police.
 +==Overview==
 +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 people in the homosexual community fought back against a government-sponsored system that persecuted sexual minorities, and they have become the defining event that marked the start of the [[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 those of some [[Warsaw Pact]] countries.
 + 
 + 
 +Except for [[Illinois]], which [[decriminalize]]d [[sodomy]] in [[1961]], [[homosexual acts]], even between consenting adults acting in private homes, were a criminal offense in every U.S. state at the time the [[Stonewall Riots]] occurred: "An adult convicted of the crime of having sex with another consenting adult in the privacy of his or her home could get anywhere from a light fine to five, ten, or twenty years—or even life—in prison. In 1971, twenty states had '[[sex psychopath]]' laws that permitted the detaining of homosexuals for that reason alone. In Pennsylvania and California [[sex offender]]s could be locked in a mental institution for life, and [in] seven states they could be castrated." (''Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution'', by David Carter, p. 15) [[Castration]], [[emetics]], [[hypnosis]], [[electroshock therapy]] and [[lobotomies]] were used by psychiatrists to attempt to cure homosexuals through the 1950s and 1960s.(Katz, pp. 181–197.)(Adam, p. 60.)
 + 
 +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 (1955-1968)|African American Civil Rights Movement]], the [[Counterculture of the 1960s]], and [[Opposition to the Vietnam War|antiwar demonstration]]s. 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. Those that did were often bars, although bar owners and managers were rarely gay. The Stonewall Inn, at the time, was owned by the [[American Mafia|Mafia]]. It catered to an assortment of patrons, but it was known to be popular with the most marginalized people in the gay community: [[Transvestism|transvestites]], effeminate young men, [[Hustler (disambiguation)#Slang|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 Department|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.
 + 
 +After the Stonewall riots, gays and lesbians in New York City faced gender, class, and generational obstacles to becoming a cohesive community. Within six months, two gay activist organizations were formed in New York, concentrating on confrontational tactics, and three newspapers were established to promote rights for gays and lesbians. Within a few years, gay rights organizations were founded across the U.S. and the world. On June 28, 1970, the first [[Pride parade (LGBT community)|Gay Pride marches]] took place in Los Angeles and New York commemorating the anniversary of the riots. Similar marches were organized in other cities. Today, Gay Pride events are held annually throughout the world toward the end of June to mark the Stonewall riots. {{GFDL}}

Revision as of 12:27, 28 June 2009

The Stonewall Inn, taken September 1969. The sign in the window reads: "We homosexuals plead with our people to please help maintain peaceful and quiet conduct on the streets of the Village—Mattachine".
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The Stonewall Inn, taken September 1969. The sign in the window reads: "We homosexuals plead with our people to please help maintain peaceful and quiet conduct on the streets of the Village—Mattachine".

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The Stonewall riots were a series of violent conflicts between New York City police officers and groups of gay and transgender people that began during the early morning of June 28, 1969, and lasted several days. Also called the Stonewall Rebellion or simply Stonewall, the clash was a watershed for the worldwide gay rights movement, as gay and transgender people had never before acted together in such large numbers to forcibly resist police.

Overview

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 people in the homosexual community fought back against a government-sponsored system that persecuted sexual minorities, and they have become the defining event that marked the start of the 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 those of some Warsaw Pact countries.


Except for Illinois, which decriminalized sodomy in 1961, homosexual acts, even between consenting adults acting in private homes, were a criminal offense in every U.S. state at the time the Stonewall Riots occurred: "An adult convicted of the crime of having sex with another consenting adult in the privacy of his or her home could get anywhere from a light fine to five, ten, or twenty years—or even life—in prison. In 1971, twenty states had 'sex psychopath' laws that permitted the detaining of homosexuals for that reason alone. In Pennsylvania and California sex offenders could be locked in a mental institution for life, and [in] seven states they could be castrated." (Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution, by David Carter, p. 15) Castration, emetics, hypnosis, electroshock therapy and lobotomies were used by psychiatrists to attempt to cure homosexuals through the 1950s and 1960s.(Katz, pp. 181–197.)(Adam, p. 60.)

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. Those that did were often bars, although bar owners and managers were rarely gay. The Stonewall Inn, at the time, was owned by the Mafia. 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.

After the Stonewall riots, gays and lesbians in New York City faced gender, class, and generational obstacles to becoming a cohesive community. Within six months, two gay activist organizations were formed in New York, concentrating on confrontational tactics, and three newspapers were established to promote rights for gays and lesbians. Within a few years, gay rights organizations were founded across the U.S. and the world. On June 28, 1970, the first Gay Pride marches took place in Los Angeles and New York commemorating the anniversary of the riots. Similar marches were organized in other cities. Today, Gay Pride events are held annually throughout the world toward the end of June to mark the Stonewall riots.



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