Riots of Stonewall

The riots of Stonewall celebrated under the name of Christopher Street Day (CSD) were a series of conflicts violent one between on the one hand the homosexual ones and the transgenres, and on the other hand the police force of New York. The first night of riot took place the June 28th 1969, after a descent of eight police officers in “Stonewall Inn”, a gay bar located on Christopher Street, in the middle of the Greenwich Village. Stonewall is often regarded as the turning of the movement of request for homosexual equal rights.

Context

Political context

With New York, in the Sixties, it is interdict to serve as alcoholic drinks with homosexual, to dance between men or to disguise themselves. The police raids in the bars where gays were suspectés to be were currency in the United States. It was banal for the police force, before 1965, to raise the personal identities present in these bars. The police force justified these measurements by the indecent assault in the event of kissing, the wearing of clothing traditionally reserved for the opposed sex, or simply the alcohol sale prohibited the homosexual ones.

One of the rare movements homophiles of the moment is the Mattachine Society, which works discreetly to give more rights to the homosexual ones. After the election in 1965 of John Lindsay like mayor of New York, a Republican who presented a reform program, and that of Dick Leitsch like chair of Mattachine Society in New York, the police force avoided multiplying its descents of 1965 to 1969.

However, the tone hardens in 1969 during the municipal elections. John Lindsay has just lost the primary educations of his party and wishes " to make the ménage" in the illegal bars.

In addition, Judy Garland died on June 22nd and its burial with place on June 28th in the course of the day, with Manhattan. What was, without any doubt, one of the causes of the riots, homosexual community being so with flower of skin.

Stonewall Inn

To the 53 Christopher Street, in the middle of Greenwich Village, Stonewall Inn is one of the only bars where the gays can find themselves, in spite of the frequent police raids. Held by the Maffia (its owner Tony “Conceited Tony” Lauria transfers the receipts of the evening with Matty the Horse), Stonewall voluntarily targets the gay customers, because it pays large.

The bar, which accommodates several hundreds of people the weekend, does not have nevertheless a license and the owner is obliged to lubricate the leg of the police officers of the 6th district not to see his establishment closing. Thus, although several descents already took place before, the bar always accommodates homosexual evening of the riots.

The raid on Stonewall

The raid which took place on June 28th was different from the preceding interventions. Usually, the owners of “Stonewall Inn” were warned in advance by a mole of the arrival of the police force, and these descents often took place rather early in the evening to allow a fast reopening of the bar. In the neighborhoods of 1 hour 30 of the morning, later that usually, eight civil police penetrated in the bar. The majority of the customers could leave without being worried, since the only challenged people were those without indentity card or wearing the clothing usually reserved to the people of the opposed sex, as well as the employees of the bar.

One does not know very well how the riot began, but crowd present on the spot started to fight against the police force. The history wants that a transvestite, Sylvia Rivera, threw the first bottle on the police officers. Astonished and under-manpower, those took refuge in the bar. The singer of folk heterosexual Dave Van Ronk, which passed by there, was taken along of force by the police officers in the bar and was beaten. Crowd continued her attacks. Some tried, without success, to put fire at the bar. Others were seized of a parking meter and blocked the police officers inside. The residents of the district and the customers of the bars around started to flow.

During the night, effeminate men were often taken with party by the police force and beaten. The first night, thirteen people were stopped, and four police officers as well as an unknown number wounded demonstrators. The crowd, estimated at 2.000 people, launched bottles and stones to the 400 police officers made on the spot.

The police force ends up sending Tactical Patrol Force, a unit of anti-riot police force, then accustomed to fight against the opponents with the Guerre of Vietnam. However, these men did not manage to disperse the crowd which continued to throw stones and all kinds of projectiles to them.

Craig Rodwell, which had created in 1967 in Christopher Street the first bookstore of Gay authors in the world, the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookstore , assembled the press. The journalists will attend several days of combat, which will continue in the street. Indeed, on June 28th, the riot was calmed, but crowd returned the following days. The scuffles lasted five days, all the brimades whose homosexual ones had been victims previously remaking surface.

Consequences of the riots

The July 4th, after one night very agitated, Craid Rodwel has taken part in front of Capitole in Washington in the traditional procession of Day Independence organized for a few years by Mattachine Society. Noting that during this demonstration the leaders of Mattachine separate the couples of women or homosexual too indicators , Craid Rodwel decides that it will organize as of the following year a demonstration in the honor of the events of Christopher Street.

It takes part with Brenda Howard in New York in the creation of the Gay Release Face (GLF), then in December 1969 of the Gay Activist Alliance (GAA), and founds the Steering Committee of Christopher Street Liberation Day.

After a legal battle to obtain the right to express, the first demonstration of a few hundreds of gays and lesbians take place under the slogans " Like Out" , " Gay Pride" , " Gay is Good" and by singing the " Gay Power".

The riots of Stonewall and the demonstration started by Craig Rodwel mark a big step of the emancipation of the homosexual ones. They are the precursors of what will become the Gay pride (gay pride).

It is in homage to this riot of Stonewall that many steps of the prides in the world takes place the last weekend of June.

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