Gay Rights Movement (Context, the Sip-in and the Stonewall riots)

The gay rights movement has come a long way since the begin of the 20th century, however LGBTQ+ people still face major struggles just for owning up to who they are and who they love.

This movement has been around since 1924, but with very few resources and the prejudice at an all-time high, gay people continued to suffer as the movements were shut down.

Members of the community were held in concentration camps and deemed as sexual predators, being branded with the infamous pink triangle. In 1952, homosexuality was listed as a form of mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association, and they were still not allowed to hold hands, kiss, or show affection in public. However, with the beginning of the 60’s the gay rights movement saw some progress.

In 1961, Illinois became the first state to decriminalize homosexuality, and a local TV station in California aired the first documentary about it, called “The rejected”. In 1965 the term transgender was used to described someone who was born in the body of the incorrect sex in the book Sexual hygiene and pathology.

Despite the progress, there were still a lot of things that needed to be changed, gay men and women could not even drink alcohol in public, because of drinking laws that considered the gathering of homosexuals to be “disorderly”. So, often bartends would deny them service. In 1966 three men who were members of the Mattachine society, one of the first organizations dedicated to fight for gay rights, set out to demonstrate the discrimination that takes place in bars, through what they called a sip-in, inspired on the “sit ins” of the Civil Rights Movement. Their plan involved revealing to a bartender they were homosexuals and then being denied service. Once that happened, the Mattachine Society – with the support of the American Civil Liberty Union in New York – could move forward with action against the State Liquor Authority. The plan suffered a small setback since the first two bars they visited offered service despite their sexuality. But, the third bar, Julius’ acted according to what was predicted, giving them what they needed to expose the discriminatory law. At first, the State liquor authority denied the claim, but with the help of the Commission on Human Rights, the law was revoked, no longer considering the gathering of gay men and women as “disorderly”. They could now drink in piece and were subjected to much less harassment.

Now 50 years later, Julius’ in known for being one of the oldest gay bars in NYC. Inside hangs a picture of the three men next to inappropriate headlines of the New York Times covering the event.“Everybody has a story and everybody’s story has a significant part in all of history,” explains Helen Buford, owner of the bar. “Yes, it is a man’s gay bar but it welcomes everybody. Whoever you are, you’re welcome".

In 1969, took place an important event in the gay rights movement: The Stonewall’s Riot. The gay club Stonewall Inn was a popular club for several reasons including providing a non-judgemental environment for drag queens and allowing dancing, both being very rare at the time. But one night the club was raided and several men and women caught cross-dressing were arrested. Tired of years of police harassment and humiliation, patrons and neighbourhood residents began throwing objects at the police as they arrested them. The scene eventually exploded into a full-blown riot, with subsequent protests that lasted for five more days. The police even had to barricade themselves inside the club, while protesters tried to go through the door and even threw matches inside. Surprisingly, no one died on the day of the riot. The following days more and more protesters joined singing chants like “gay power” and “we shall overcome”. In response to the Village Voice’s coverage of the riots, which referred to them as “the forces of f*ggotry,” protesters gathered outside the paper’s offices. Some even proposing burning down the building. The protests continued for some more days and shortly after, different gay rights institutions started to appear like the Gay Liberation Front, the Gay Activists Alliance, Radicalesbians, and Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries. One year later in 1970 members of the community and allies marched on what is today considered the first pride parade. They also turned the once hateful pink triangle into a symbol of pride. Although the pink triangle has been reclaimed as an empowering symbol, it is ultimately a reminder to never forget the past—and to recognize the persecution LGBTQ+ people still face around the world.

Sources : https://www.history.com/topics/gay-rights/history-of-gay-rights