The Stonewall Uprising is just one of many uprisings in the 1960’s, and yet it is the first time the LGBTQ+ community had such a major uprising. It was not the first time the police had raided a gay bar, nor was it the first time LGBTQ+ members fought back, but it was the first time such a major uprising occurred for the LGBTQ+ community that led to significantly change the discourse regarding LGBTQ+ activism across America as noted by the History Channel.

Interestingly enough, the Library of Congress also mentions how while the LGBTQ+ community had a shift in activism since Stonewall, this shift was not equal among everyone. It was mostly a shift for white cisgender people while people of color and gender non-conforming people received no benefits from hiding their marginalized identities in the first place. 

Another point that is emphasized by the Library of Congress is the dispute in defining the Stonewall uprising in the media. The police referred to the Stonewall uprising as a riot while Stonewall veterans would refer to it as an uprising or rebellion. Early documentation showed that the term “riot” was not adopted by the LGBTQ+ community until years after the event. 

Defining the Stonewall uprising as a rebellion or uprising early on definitely seemed to be significant, at least early on. If the Stonewall uprising was accepted by both the police and protestors as a riot, then this puts a negative connotation in the media that would put the LGBTQ+ community in a horrendous light. It is understandable in this aspect that the LGBTQ+ community repeatedly emphasized to the media that it was not a riot at all, but an uprising because this is a less negative and violent connotation on their movement. This was not just a clash against the police, but the media and their (LGBTQ+) image as a whole to the nation. 

 

Questions: 

 

1. While the LGBTQ community early on emphasized repeatedly that the Stonewall uprising was not a riot, they did adopt the term later on years after the event. Why did the LGBTQ community shift their tone in defining the Stonewall uprising? Was the early emphasis of defining the Stonewall uprising as a “rebellion” only important while it was in the media at the time, or was it a genuine view to the LGBTQ+ community?
2. If the Stonewall uprising was mostly a shift for white cisgender people, why was this the case? Why did people of color not benefit from hiding their marginalized identity? Were their communities more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community? 
3.  The Stonewall uprising was not the first against police and state brutality, but it is the first major one to create change for the LGBTQ+ community. Why is this the case? What makes it stand out from the other times police raided a gay bar? 

 

Sources:

 

https://guides.loc.gov/lgbtq-studies/stonewall-era#s-lib-ctab-24103782-0

https://www.history.com/topics/gay-rights/the-stonewall-riots

https://www.nytimes.com/video/arts/100000002312200/the-fight-for-equality-then-and-now.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/21/arts/design/greenwich-village-history.html