Homophile

Based on the events of the 1969 Stonewall riots is the film, Stonewall. The movie focusses on fictional Danny Irvine, a gay Caucasian youth who leaves his conservative Indiana countryside for New York City. In the weeks leading up to the riot, he meets and befriends a group of LGBTQ youth. Danny is shown the rough lifestyle of theft and hustling of these street kids as well as the realities of police raids and the brutality of their bigotry. In the process, he learns more about LGBTQ culture and involves himself in the struggle and starts the riot. The Stonewall riots were a major part of the gay liberation movement from the late 60’s to the mid 80’s. Although homosexuality is part of the norm for much of human history, for the past few centuries and especially during the 20th century, anything not conforming to straight and cis-gendered were considered to be abnormal. After the Second World War, there was a desire to preserve and return to the pre-war social values due to the social upheaval of the time. In addition, anti-communism was mainstream and with Senator Joseph McCarthy leading the witch hunt, the widespread paranoia against communism intensified. Any and all people considered subversive and un-American were considered candidates for being communist. Amongst those suspected of communism were the gays, the transgendered, and others under the LGBTQ umbrella. When the police raided the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, a riot began. With anger stemming…

Henry Louis Mencken was an American journalist and writer from the early 20th century to late mid 20th century. He was known for being a huge critic of American democracy and was more in support for socialism. An example of his thoughts where through his quote of,“the average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.” He found trouble when he wrote about socialists norms during WWII because people were in more opposition to it than ever. This quote was a question that everybody…

There are many ideas, movements, events, and people that shaped the history of sex and sexuality in the twentieth century. The three most influential are Margaret Sanger, Alfred Charles Kinsey, and the Homophile Movement. Margaret Sanger made birth control accessible to the public, which altered the way in which people of the twentieth century understood sex. Margaret Sanger’s impact on contemporary society was tremendous. Sanger enabled women to control their fertility and made birth…

sixties as they were seen as a threat to national safety and American culture. Despite their persecution, in several large cities an active gay and lesbian social scene rose even as states outlawed the gathering of and sale of alcohol to homosexuals, forcing many gay bars and nightclubs to operate in secrecy. During these early years, the ‘homophile’ movement was used to describe the gay rights movement in order to focus on the emotional aspect of same-sex partnerships instead of the sexual…

the transgender community. In the sixties, police raids were common practice, however, the patrons of Stonewall landed their names in history for their resistance. The protestors verbally fought back when police arrested, harassed, and assaulted the patrons. Many who were present during that night claimed that they “sensed something unusual in the air” and “felt a kind of tensed expectancy” (Duberman 131). The verbal taunts quickly turned to tossed bottles and coins when an arrested patron began…

Sexuality is everywhere, which is why it is so important for everyone to make an effort to learn about each identity to better understand others. In class this semester, we discussed three umbrella sexualities: homosexuality, bisexuality, and asexuality and learned about the different identities within each. A homosexual is someone who feels attracted to, desires and/or wants to practice with someone of the same sex and/or gender. This term was coined in the 1920s, when a writer accidentally…

One organization in particular, the “Student Homophile League” formed at Cornell University in 1968 laid the groundwork for gay and lesbian independence. Cornell University wasn’t the only university to develop these organizations. Many other universities across the country began to mobilize and join the militant groups of activism for equal rights. It was not easy for students to form organizations such as these despite acceptance from other non-gay groups. Cornell University refused to grant…

understand how these unique qualities between persons influence personal autonomy, well-being, and self-determination. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people are one of the most outspoken communities living in the United States today and they vary by geography and identity of the people. The LGBT community are denied many of the basic rights that most Americans enjoy simply based on their sexuality and the stigma associated with their culture affects the quality of their lives…

and transgender. Exactly a year after the rebellion at the Stonewall Inn, June 28, 1969, the Christopher Street Liberation Day Committee held a march on the streets of New York to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall riots. LGBT people all across New York gathered outside the Stonewall Inn to celebrate the gay liberation movement. “We propose that a demonstration be held annually on the last Saturday in June in New York City to commemorate the 1969 spontaneous demonstrations on…

built-up frustration of years of harassment by police. On this day the patrons chose not to go passively. When the first paddy wagon dropped of patrons, a crowd of three hundred people or more became defiant and began to throw rocks, bottles, and coins at the police. When reinforcements were called in, it didn’t stop the rioters from acting act the next two nights. Similar acts of hostility and defiance occurred. This event was seen as an intolerable situation that existed in New York City that…