The Impact Of Stonewall Inn On Gay Rights In America

Enxhi Kadilliu
Professor Name
Class Name (Political Science 101 or w/e)
April 30, 2015
The Impact of the Stonewall Inn on Gay Rights in America
One of the many staples of America is that all are treated equally under the eyes of the law. However, this was not always the case. First, the slaves fought for their rights. Then came the women’s rights movement followed by the civil rights movement. Another important movement that is often overlooked is the gay rights movement that started in New York City. The Stonewall Inn, situated in Manhattan’s West Village, was where riots started in the summer of 1969. These riots raised nationwide awareness for gay rights. Forty years ago, most states did not have a single gay organization, there were no
openly gay politicians or actors, and no laws banned sexual orientation discrimination.
Today, 20 states have bans on antigay bias, same-sex marriage is legal in four states, three openly gay legislators serve in Congress, and a film celebrating a Slain gay activist won two Oscars at the most recent Academy Awards (Cater “Stonewall Stories”). The Stonewall riots, the event largely regarded as the beginning of the LGBT movement for civil rights in the United States, started when police raided the Stonewall Inn on June 28th 1969 with the premise that the establishment was operating without a liquor license. A group of gay customers, who had grown angry at the harassment by police, took a stand and a riot broke out after a lesbian was hit on the head for complaining that her handcuffs were on too tight. As word spread throughout the city about the demonstration, the customers of the inn were joined by other gay men and women who started throwing objects at the policemen, shouting "gay power" (Cart “Stonewall: Breaking Out In the Fight For Gay Rights”). By four in the morning, the riots started to die down. In the midst of the riots, thirteen were arrested, some hospitalized and four police officers were injured. Also, Stonewall Inn was completely trashed (Gilbert “Stonewall Uprising: A Film Documentary”). News of the riot spread quickly and the next night thousands of people gathered in front of the Stonewall, which had opened again. Fires were started in garbage cans, property vandalized and many stormed the streets chanting for gay rights. More than a hundred police arrived again and the riot lasted again until four in the morning. On Wednesday, around one thousand protestors gathered again. Another explosive riot took place, with injuries to demonstrators and police, looting in local shops, and several arrests (Hall "The American Gay Rights Movement And Patriotic Protest"). In the midst of the riots, intense discussions about civil rights were held among New York's LGBT people, which led to the formation of various groups such as the Gay Liberation Front, which was the first group to use the word "gay" in its name, and a citywide newspaper called Gay.
By 1973, there were almost eight hundred gay rights groups and the number grew to a few thousand by 1990. In 1970, thousands of gay men and lesbians marched in New York City to commemorate the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots; in October 1987, over half a million marched in Washington, to demand equality (Hall "The American Gay Rights Movement And Patriotic Protest"). On the 1st anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the first gay pride parades in U.S. history took place in Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and near the Stonewall Inn in New York. The Stonewall riots inspired the oppressed gay, lesbian and transgendered people throughout the country to organize in support of gay rights (Gilbert “Stonewall Uprising: A Film
Documentary”). The significance of the Stonewall Inn on American politics can only be fully appreciated when we take a look at what was accomplished through gay rights movements that the riots gave birth to. Being gay was thought to be an illness. However, in 1973 the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its official list of mental disorders. In the same year, Harvey Milk, who was openly gay, won the Castro District and other liberal neighborhoods. In 1976 Milk was appointed to the Board of Permit Appeals, making him the first openly gay commissioner in the United States (Lewis, Wood, Jacobsmeier "Public Opinion And Judicial Behavior In Direct Democracy Systems: Gay Rights In The American States”). Along with support, the gay rights movement also faced a lot of opposition. In 1977 activists in Miami, Florida passed a civil rights ordinance making it illegal to discriminate based on sexual discrimination in Dade County. However, singer Anita Bryant launched a Save Our Children campaign along with a Christian fundamentalist group in response to the ordinance. In a special election the ordinance was overturned by a 70% vote making it a huge defeat for gay activists (Frank "The Civil Rights Of Parents": Race And Conservative Politics In Anita Bryant's Campaign Against Gay Rights In 1970S Florida”). In 1978, Harvey Milk was sworn in as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He started his term by sponsoring a civil rights bill that outlawed sexual orientation discrimination. In the same year John Briggs received massive support for Proposition 6, a proposal to fire any teacher or school employee who publicly supports gay rights. Fortunately, voters rejected the proposition by more than a million votes. At the 1980 Democratic National Convention held in New York City’s Madison Square Garden, Democrats announced their support for gay rights. Following the momentum of the gay rights movement, Wisconsin became the first state to outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in 1982.
In 1984 Berkeley, California became the first city to offer its employees domestic-partnership benefits. In 1993, the U.S. military instituted the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy permitting gays to serve in the military but banning homosexual activity. Same sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts on May 17, 2004. Civil union also became legal in Connecticut in 2005 and a year later in New Jersey in 2006. 2007 ushered a bill ensuring equal rights in the workplace for gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals (Lewis, Wood, Jacobsmeier "Public Opinion And Judicial Behavior In Direct Democracy Systems: Gay Rights In The American States”). Currently, same-sex marriage is legal in thirty-seven states, twenty-six by court decision, eight by state legislature and three by popular vote. However, same-sex marriage is still banned in thirteen states including Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, Texas and Nebraska. Out of these thirteen states, eight states have appeals that’s are in progress. The gay and lesbian rights movement is still active and moving in full
force. All the strides that were made in the gay and lesbian rights movement started with the momentum of the riots that took place at the Stonewall forty-six years ago. The injustice and discrimination that took place during the police raid that one unfortunate summer night had awoken a rage in the hearts of many people. Before the June 1969 riots, the Stonewall Inn was just another ordinary Maria-run bar in New York City. They served up over-priced watered-down drinks. It was often packed with too many people and hot. The Stonewall was just another dive bar but it was a safe haven for the city’s gay community. It was a place where they could be open about their sexuality and dance with each other without being ridiculed and arrested.
After the raids, the reputation of the Stonewall Inn was ripped to shreds. Police continued to raid bars in the area and the gay rights groups advocated boycotting Mafia-run establishments. Without a liquor license they converted into a juice bar, which ultimately shut down. Three months later the Inn’s lease was up and in the 70s and 80s many other establishments tried their luck in the location. However by the 90s, more and more gay bars began to open up around Christopher Street and the space was renovated and reopened as the Stonewall Inn. The Inn was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on the 30th anniversary of the riots on June 28th, 1999. On February 16, 2000, the Stonewall Inn became a National Historic Landmark.