SIR: Legacy!

Stonewall Inn Riots: Legacy!

The actual date, 28 June, 1969, may not be etched mentally for everyone, but for a majority of GLBTQ+ community and culture, the familiar phrase, Stonewall Inn Riots (SIR), instantly beats the drum and blows the trumpet! The early hours of this morning heralded the commencement of the movement that initiated the struggle to end bias, condemnation, marginalization and oppression. It began the attainment of the goals of equality, fairness, freedom and respect deserving of all peoples, no matter where they live! Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer+ (GLBTQ+) rights are human rights progress inaugurated!

The rioting that followed the planned raid on the unlicensed Stonewall Inn bar, catering almost exclusively to a “homosexual” (derogatory designation for same gender loving persons) customer base, erupted into a totally unexpected riot against police brutality and harassment. The law enforcers were completely unprepared for this reaction and were overwhelmed by the results. The “homosexual” community was always considered docile and effeminate, not capable of any type of masculine action!

The Stonewall National Monument is a fairly new national park unit located in Christopher Park in New York City’s lower Manhattan neighborhood of Greenwich Village. It is the very first U.S. national monument dedicated to GLBTQ+ rights and history; indeed, to the entire community and culture. Then-President Barack Obama designated it as a national monument on June 24, 2016!

“Stonewall will be our first national monument to tell the story of the struggle for LGBT rights. I believe our national parks should reflect the full story of our country, the richness and diversity and uniquely American spirit that has always defined us. That we are stronger together. Out of many, we are one.” ~ President Barack Obama ~ Dedication of Stonewall National Monument ~ 24 June, 2016

“There was no gay pride before Stonewall. Only gay fear and gay isolation and gay distrust and gay self-hatred.” ~ Edmund White ~ Stonewall Inn patron and gay author

“The police weren’t letting us dance. If there’s one place in the world where you can dance and feel yourself fully as a person and that’s threatened with being taken away, those words are fighting words.” ~ Tommy Lanigen-Schmidt ~ Stonewall Inn patron and riot participant

“You could hear screaming outside, a lot of noise from the protestors and it was a good sound. It was a real good sound that, you know, you had a lot of people out there pulling for you.” ~ Raymond Castro ~ Stonewall Inn patron who was detained inside the bar during the riot

In 1966, the Stonewall Inn Restaurant, which had been in business at that location since the 1950s, closed for remodeling following a fire that had devastated the restaurant. The restaurant re-opened as a commercial tavern (bar) on 18 March, 1967, under the ownership of the Genovese Mafia family. The tavern was in business illegally (no license to serve liquor) and one officer of the New York Police Department was accepting monthly bribe payments allowing the business to operate. The targeted consumer base for the tavern were “homosexuals.”

On Friday evening, 27 June, 1969, the police held a raid upon the Stonewall Inn tavern for two specific violations, operating a “homosexual” related business and for selling alcohol without a license. The customers, by now angry over repeated harassment, rioted against the police. The protesters soon numbered in the thousands and marked the first time any law enforcement received any defiance and/or resistance from the “homosexual” population. This represented the same gender loving (SGL) community organizing against oppression and the police were bewildered and clueless.

No one in the New York Police Department had anticipated the “homosexuals,” always believed to be meek and mild, to fight back. The years of abuse, oppression and ridicule had taken its toll, and the frustration now became revolution and the time for retribution was at hand. Unfortunately for the police, the pent-up anger with law enforcement was now being released and returned in kind. The police who initiated the raid were now isolated prisoners inside the Stonewall Inn.

The early morning hours of 28 June, 1969, became history. The discrimination against people who loved their own gender soon faded away to be replaced by the movement for gay power, gay equality and gay rights. This, in turn, became known as the GLBTQ+ movement (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer+). The journey was not easy, peaceful nor was it bloodless. However, the journey itself was historic. Unfortunately, the history remains to be completed, even into now, the 21st Century!

In the 1970s, a local volunteer group, the Friends of Christopher Park, was organized in order to oversee the park’s maintenance and upkeep. In 1983, the New York City Parks agency began a three-year project to restore the park to its original condition under the guidance of Phil Winslow.

In 1992, the “Gay Liberation” statue by George Segal was placed in Christopher Park. The statue consists of four figures (two standing men, two seated women) in natural and neutral poses. The park also has two other statues both related to the civil war that were created in 1936. In 2023, a move to remove the statue of General Phil Sheridan because he had led a massacre of Indigenous (Native American) people.

On 29 June, 1999, the Stonewall Inn building, Christopher Park and nearby streets were recognized as official by the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The same area was declared a National Historic Landmark on February 16, 2000.

On 23 June, 2015, the City of New York determined the Stonewall Inn to be an official City landmark. This inspired the other Greenwich Village residents to pursue both The Stonewall Inn and the Christopher Park to be labeled a national monument. This happened when then-President Barack Obama officially determined the Stonewall Inn and Christopher Park as national monuments on 24 June, 2016.

Our history and our story are still ongoing. To those who are planning to visit New York city, a visit to this national monument is highly recommended in order to help define and perpetuate our community and culture!

Naked hugs!

Roger Poladopoulos/ReNude Pride

Author’s Note: The next post entry here is planned for Sunday, June 30, 2024, and the proposed topic is: “Bottoms-Up! Pride Month, 2024!”