Stonewall & The Gay Liberation

Movement
Key Clark and Kate Sjovold
Background - Homophile Movement
1950: Mattachine Society
● Harry Hay in LA
● Branches: NYC, DC, San Francisco, Chicago
1955: Daughters of Bilitis
● Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin in San Francisco
● Branches: NYC, LA, Chicago
Goals of Movement
● Promote acceptance
● Provide a safe place outside of bars
● Promote “solidarity and group identity”
● Activism efforts begin with speaking out and
picketing
Background - Political/Social Climate
● Homosexuality was illegal in all states
except Illinois at the time
● Being gay was considered a mental defect
or mental illness by professionals
● Gays were subjected to police brutality
● Civil Rights Movement, Anti-Vietnam
War Protests, 2nd Wave Feminism,
Counter-Culture Movement
● Stonewall Uprising rode on a wave of
social activism and political upheaval
Background - Stonewall Stonewall Inn: Greenwich Village in NYC
● Greenwich Village → recognized gay
neighborhood
● Mafia-owned dive bar; sanitation lacking and
bootlegged drinks watered down.
● Homosexuality and gender nonconformity
were considered criminal activities
● Stonewall offered refuge to a diverse crowd of
queer people (drag queens, trans people, gay
men, lesbians, queer youth experiencing
homelessness)
● Targeted by police
● Raids and arrests occurred frequently
Stonewall Rebellion
● June 28th, 1969 (early morning, just after 1
am)
● Approximately 200 patrons in attendance at
the time of the raid
● Stonewall raided by 8 police officers → illegal
alcohol
● Patrons refused to comply with police
● Crowd began to gather outside the bar as 13
patrons were arrested
● Those on the street and from the
neighborhood joined the crowd of patrons
outside of Stonewall to protest the
arrests/police brutality
Stonewall Rebellion
● Violence erupted as a woman being
arrested shouted “Why don’t you guys do
something!”
● Angry, vocal crowd surged to more than
400 people as police continued to shove
arrested patrons into police cars
● People began to throw pennies, bottles,
bricks, and firebombs as the police
barricaded themselves inside of Stonewall
● Riots continued for 5 days after the initial
raid
 Aftermath of Stonewall
● Unprecedented media coverage
surrounding Stonewall
● Formation of various LGBTQ
organizations
● First Gay Pride Parades occurred on
the anniversary of Stonewall Riots
and have continued since
● Provided the impetus of the Gay
Liberation Movement of the 1970’s
● Considered the beginning of the
modern Gay Rights Movement in the
U.S.
Gay Liberation Front
● Established in 1969 in response to the Stonewall Rebellion
● Goal: transform social institutions in order to create liberated people
● GLF joined other movements like Black Panthers, Women’s
Liberationist, and Anti-War Activist
● Disbanded in 1972 due to internal conflict
○ Differing opinions on whether GLF should commit to a single
issue or broad liberation efforts
● Impacts:
○ Leaders were open about sexual orientation
○ Encouraged openness about sexual orientation
○ GLF inspired radical movements including ACT UP and Queer
Nation to fight against AIDS and homophobia
○ Criticized as exploiting the coming out process as a political tool
Gay Activists Alliance - Political
● Gay Activist Alliance (GAA) formed in 1969
● Purpose was to gain basic political and social rights
for gay men and women
○ abolish discrimination sexual orientation laws
○ promoting lesbian and gay civil rights
○ challenging political candidates to state their
views on gay rights
● Conducted frequent demonstrations that
sequestered media attention
Gay Activist Alliance - Social
● Social component of GAA included weekly
dances at a Victorian Firehouse in SOHO
● Factions of the group occured
○ Women formed Lesbian Feminist
Liberation
○ GAA president Bruce Voeller formed
National Gay Task Force
● Arsonist burned down firehouse in 1974
● Membership steadily decreased
● 1981 GAA was disbanded
● GAA increased visibility of gay men and
lesbians in the political arena and a created
community center
AIDS Crisis

● Politics shifted to the right in the 1980s

● AIDS crisis of 1980s affected many gay and bisexual men
● January 5th 1981 CDC first reported mysterious illnesses of gay men
○ First called GRID (gay-related immunodeficiency)
○ Name soon changed to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome)
● By the end of the year there were 270 cases involving infection of gay men with 121 fatalities
● Grassroots organizations like ACT UP (AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power) provided services
and hotlines
● Members of Reagan administration failed to recognize the epidemic until 1985 and by then
over 15,000 cases had been reported
Aftermath of Gay Liberation Movement
● Emphasis of gay pride
● Creating a visible community of LGBTQ folks
● Greater push to acknowledge gay identity
● Increased economic and political opportunities as activists
Questions for Future Research
● An analysis of how well the Gay Liberation Movement achieved their goals
● What impacts did the Gay Liberation Movement have on the modern Gay Rights
Movement
● How closely related the gay liberation movement was with other social
movements
● What specific ideologies were shared and what differed
Work Cited
Christensen, Jen. "AIDS in the '80s: The Rise of a Civil Rights Movement." CNN. June 01, 2016. Accessed April 03, 2018.
https://www.cnn.com/2016/04/14/health/aids-atlanta-emory-university-the-80s/index.html.

Franke-Ruta, Garance. "An Amazing 1969 Account of the Stonewall Uprising." The Atlantic. January 24, 2013. Accessed April 03, 2018.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/01/an-amazing-1969-account-of-the-stonewall-uprising/272467/.

Gianoulis, Tina. "Gay Liberation Movement." In St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, edited by Thomas Riggs, 438-43. 2nd ed. Vol. 2.
Detroit: St. James Press, 2013. Accessed April 3, 2018.
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX2735801056/GVRL?u=vic_uor&sid=GVRL&xid=974d8651.

Heilbroner, David. "Stonewall Uprising." PBS. April 25, 2011. Accessed April 03, 2018.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/stonewall/.

Mirola, William A. "Gay Liberation Front." Encyclopedia of Activism and Social Justice. doi:10.4135/9781412956215.n346.

"Stonewall Riots." Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed April 3, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/event/Stonewall-riots#ref1042425.

Thistlethwaite, Polly. "Stonewall." In Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender, edited by Fedwa Malti-Douglas, 1431-432. Vol. 4. Detroit: Macmillan
Reference USA, 2007. Accessed April 3, 2018.
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX2896200621/GVRL?u=vic_uor&sid=GVRL&xid=419f718b.

"A Timeline of HIV and AIDS." HIV.gov. March 27, 2018. Accessed April 03, 2018.
https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/history/hiv-and-aids-timeline.