Jessica Hung, Week 11 - Stonewall Inn
Before June of 1969, Stonewall Inn was only a humble gay bar. How did this bar challenge existing power structures and turn the world upside down?
Historically, the LGBTQ+ community has faced contempt and oppression. In the early 1950s, gay bars — run by Mafia-like families — became popular among members of the community. These bars were places of refuge; people could freely express themselves and socialize without worry.
In the heart of Greenwich Village stood the Stonewall Inn. The Genovese family, who owned the bar, bribed New York’s Sixth Police Precinct to ignore the activities occurring within the club. The inn quickly became a popular establishment; it was large and relatively cheap to enter. It welcomed drag queens and runaway gay youths.
During the early hours of June 28, 1969, the police raided the bar without warning, forcing employees and patrons out of the bar. Fueled by the desire to be accepted, patrons of the inn and nearby community members of the LGBTQ+ community came together to resist police harassment. After a few minutes, a full-blown riot began. The crowd threw pennies, stones, and other objects at the police. As the police barricaded themselves in the bar, a mob attempted to set the bar on fire. The fire department and a riot squad extinguished the flames and rescued those inside, but protests continued in the area for five more days. Christopher Street and other neighboring streets became filled with a sea of people fighting for justice and the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.
The Stonewall Riots sparked a new wave of activism. It inspired the formation of numerous LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations, such as the Gay Liberation Front. It paved the way for significant legal and social progress for the community. While it challenged the power of societal norms, the riots showed the power of working together to reach a common goal. It has given youth the power to speak out against injustice and be who they are.
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| Stonewall Inn, Now a Landmark (taken from Google) |
I appreciate the topic you chose to write about as it is both historically involved and creates an intriguing narrative. I honestly was not aware that “Mafia-like families” tended to run gay bars. The tone of your writing beatifically creates a narrative like writing and due to the historical topic chosen, readers feel that the text holds high credibility. In addition to this the inclusion of the detail also adds to the narrative like writing of your blog. It is horrifying to see that the safe space in which “people could freely express themselves and socialize” was raided by the police “without warning.” The power that the community of Stonewall Inn held and the bravery the people had is inspiring and creates a significant impact in modern society. I agree that It sets precedent for the future protests and acts such as the Gay Liberation Front, etc. I also love the sentence included in the end of your blog as it properly wraps up your thoughts, a summary of the historical aspects, and the power that the event gave to the youth “to speak out against injustice and be who they are.”
ReplyDeleteHi Jessica! I really like how you structured the introduction of your blog. It is different from the other blogs I have read, and it really caught my eye. I first learned about the Stonewall riots last year in English 10H. We did not go study the subject in depth, but I did understand the basics of it. I was surprised to learn that gay bars were run by "mafia-like families," and I was equally surprised to see that they were safe havens for many. Typically, bars and clubs are not seen to be the safest places, but that fact that many people could find acceptance at bars like Stonewall really touches me. I curious as to why the police suddenly decided to raid the bar. You mentioned that the bar paid the NYPD off, so I wonder if someone, or a group of people, who was against the LGBTQ+ community bribed the NYPD to raid the bar at a higher price. Because this seems unlikely, I definitely do want to look into/explore these riots and the motivations of the NYPD.
ReplyDeleteJessica, I found this topic to be very interesting. I think one of the most powerful things that a group of people can do when it comes to fighting for rights is to stand up against the injustices they face. Whether it be what happened at the Stonewall Inn, or whatever other method works for them. I think it's super interesting that even in the 1950s, people had to courage to speak up for themselves, especially surrounding a topic that was heavily stigmatized then, and is still extremely stigmatized now. The power and courage that is needed to fight for what's right even while the odds are against you and you're fighting against the status quo is just awe-inspiring. I think the fact that most governments and places have tried to shut down these protests are a testament to how powerful these voices truly are, as I'm a firm believer in the power of a voice. If people truly had nothing important to say and if they didn't have to power to change anything, then people wouldn't try to shut them down. The fact that the police tried to shut these people down unjustly proves just how powerful and influential even a small group of gay people can be in the 1950s. I think that if these people can make such an impact during a more conservative timeframe, then it's possible for all of us to make a change through the use of our voices, and that's something I will believe in until the end of time.
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