The period of the 60s and 70s was a time of avid change, uprising, and protest, especially in the United States. Whether people were protesting for civil rights, women's rights, against the Vietnam War, or whatsoever, it is irrefutable that these collective fronts altered history with their movement. Typically, what starts a movement is a turning point that causes a collective uprising, refusing to continue in the current state. In the Stonewall riots’ case, the police raid of The Stonewall Inn was the catalyst for this movement, connecting a broad spectrum of people to demand better treatment.
For many people in the 1960s and throughout American history, it was hard to exist as yourself. As time passed, many marginalized groups fought for …show more content…
This group bribed police to ignore cuts in costs in renovations, leading to an unsafe environment where people could be themselves in secret. Despite the less-than-ideal conditions, it became significant to the community, and even housed homeless gay youths. However, during this period, discrimination was a fact of life, particularly from the police.
Along with much social discrimination, ostracization, violent hate crimes, police raids, and unfair targeting were common things queer individuals in the US had to face. Raids at gay bars were especially common back then, due to various criminalizations. These consisted of gathering of suspected homosexuals, public same-sex relations such as kissing, and crossdressing. Arrests made at these raids were easy for police to make and …show more content…
Stonewall became a turning point for a larger movement, inspiring people to unite and organize, fed up and motivated to make a change. It helped to speed up and accomplish the tolerance and equality earlier activists had been working to achieve for decades, through the newfound unity and action. Without its impact, our country would likely be more behind in living up to its promise of liberty for all. A lot of those central to the activism had difficult upbringings due to discrimination and thus were dedicated strongly to the cause. One example is Marsha P. Johnson, an African-American Transgender woman who was one of the most distinguished activists for gay rights in the 60s-70s. She led many protests following Stonewall and was involved with many early gay rights organizations of the movement. Working alongside her was Sylvia Rivera, a Latina Transgender woman who was said to have thrown the first punch at Stonewall. Many organizations such as the Gay Liberation front were formed at this time, however many non-white and transgender members of the community were excluded. This led Rivera and Johnson to co-found Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (aka STAR), which housed ostracized trans youth and included all parts of the community. Many similar organizations focused on LGBT were formed across the country and even
For many people in the 1960s and throughout American history, it was hard to exist as yourself. As time passed, many marginalized groups fought for …show more content…
This group bribed police to ignore cuts in costs in renovations, leading to an unsafe environment where people could be themselves in secret. Despite the less-than-ideal conditions, it became significant to the community, and even housed homeless gay youths. However, during this period, discrimination was a fact of life, particularly from the police.
Along with much social discrimination, ostracization, violent hate crimes, police raids, and unfair targeting were common things queer individuals in the US had to face. Raids at gay bars were especially common back then, due to various criminalizations. These consisted of gathering of suspected homosexuals, public same-sex relations such as kissing, and crossdressing. Arrests made at these raids were easy for police to make and …show more content…
Stonewall became a turning point for a larger movement, inspiring people to unite and organize, fed up and motivated to make a change. It helped to speed up and accomplish the tolerance and equality earlier activists had been working to achieve for decades, through the newfound unity and action. Without its impact, our country would likely be more behind in living up to its promise of liberty for all. A lot of those central to the activism had difficult upbringings due to discrimination and thus were dedicated strongly to the cause. One example is Marsha P. Johnson, an African-American Transgender woman who was one of the most distinguished activists for gay rights in the 60s-70s. She led many protests following Stonewall and was involved with many early gay rights organizations of the movement. Working alongside her was Sylvia Rivera, a Latina Transgender woman who was said to have thrown the first punch at Stonewall. Many organizations such as the Gay Liberation front were formed at this time, however many non-white and transgender members of the community were excluded. This led Rivera and Johnson to co-found Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (aka STAR), which housed ostracized trans youth and included all parts of the community. Many similar organizations focused on LGBT were formed across the country and even