In 1960s America, gays and lesbians were effectively outlaws, living in secrecy and fear. They were labelled insane by doctors, immoral by religious leaders, unemployable by the government, predatory by TV broadcasts and criminal by police. Before Stonewall, the activists wanted to fit into society and not rock the boat. But after the uprising, polite requests for change turned into angry demands.
After a crackdown on the city’s gay bars began the Mafia stepped in to run many of them, charging more for watered down drinks and paying off the authorities. Despite this exploitation by the Mob, patrons of the Stonewall Inn regarded it as a sanctuary, a rare place for self-expression and affection. As the raids increased in frequency in the summer of 1969, with a mayoral election looming, the Stonewall became an obvious target. It was run by criminals and it sold alcohol without a license. There were also rumors the Mafia was blackmailing its wealthy customers. But as the police closed in, they had no idea what they were walking into – the sense of injustice was palpable, not just from the recent raids but several vigilante attacks. On the hottest night of the summer, all this tinderbox needed was a spark.
It was in the early hours today 50 years ago that that spark ignited into the Stonewall uprising. The people milling outside the bar did not retreat or scatter as they almost always had in the past. Their anger was palpable as they watched bar patrons being forced into a police van. They began to jeer at police throwing coins, then bottles and debris. Accustomed to more passive behavior, even from larger gay groups, the policemen called in reinforcements and barricaded themselves inside the bar while around 400 people rioted. The police barricade was repeatedly breached, and the bar was set on fire. Police reinforcements arrived in time to extinguish the flames, and they eventually dispersed the crowd.
Then exactly one month after the riot Martha Shelley, 25, climbed on top of a water fountain in a park near Stonewall fearing for her life. But she had an important message to tell the crowd of a few hundred – come out of the shadows and “walk in the sunshine”. And that is what the LGBT community has been doing every June for the last 50 years. We hope you enjoy the last weekend of Pride month.
