Stonewall

Before Stonewall, There Was a Bookstore

by Jim Downs

Networks of activists transformed Stonewall from an isolated event into a turning point in the struggle for gay power.

Stonewall and Queens

by Marc Stein

The overlooked importance of Queens, New York in LGBT history. 

It’s the Anniversary of Everything!

What is this ceaseless looking backward?

How Schools Reinvigorated the Stonewall Revolution

Perhaps, the theory was, just by existing, Gay-Straight Alliance groups could make gay kids feel less alone, and that itself could reduce suicide risk, which was common among gay teens at the time.

‘When They See Us’ tells the important story of the Central Park Five. Here’s what it leaves out.

Read what Netflix's documentary got right and wrong. 

Before Stonewall, There Was a Bookstore

by Jim Downs

Networks of activists transformed Stonewall from an isolated event into a turning point in the struggle for gay power.

Video of the Week: Why the Stonewall Riots represented a ‘sea change’ for LGBTQ rights

On a June night in 1969, patrons of a New York City gay bar called the Stonewall Inn battled with police and set in motion the modern movement for gay rights. Fifty years later, the milestone anniversary of the event has sparked observations and celebrations nationwide -- as well as reflections from LGBTQ Americans about what cultural acceptance has meant to them.

The Stonewall of the South That History Forgot

by Michael Waters

A month after the riots in New York, a raid on an Atlanta movie theater sparked a gay liberation movement of its own.

How Dressing in Drag Was Labeled a Crime in the 20th Century

by Hugh Ryan

In the 1940s, '50s and '60s, police arrested LGBTQ people based on an informal "three-article" rule. The Stonewall Riots helped turn the tide against these arrests.

Stonewall's Legacy and Kwame Anthony Appiah's Misuse of History

by Alan Singer

What Appiah misses in his dismissal of the Stonewall Rebellion’s historical importance is that symbols like Rosa Parks sitting down and Stonewall are crucial to social movements as they mobilize and move from the political margins to the center of civic discourse.

The Stonewall Exhibit in New York Needs Sturdier Walls

by Bruce Chadwick

Stonewall was a momentous event and its 50th anniversary is being celebrated in many ways across the country, including the exhibit Stonewall 50 exhibit at the New York Historical Society.

Stonewall Riot Apology: Police Actions Were ‘Wrong,’ Commissioner Admits

The commissioner, James O’Neill, said he was sorry on behalf of the New York Police Department for officers’ actions during a seminal 1969 clash outside a gay bar.

On the eve of Pride 2019, D.C. LGBT Community Reflects on its own history with Lavender Scare

by Andrew Fletcher

The film screening gave viewers a chance to ask questions and tell their stories. The Lavender Scare is set to premiere on PBS on June 18th.   

How True-Crime Stories Reveal the Overlooked History of Pre-Stonewall Violence Against Queer People

by James Polchin

Today, 50 years after the Stonewall uprising that marks the birth of the modern gay-rights movement, we may understand that violence against LGBTQ citizens has been central to the evolution of that movement. But the history of such crimes tends to be lost. 

Pride Month 2019 Marks the Stonewall 50th Anniversary

The LGBTQ Community is a vital part of American history.

When Resistance Became Too Loud to Ignore

New York City museums and public spaces celebrate Stonewall and the movement’s charismatic personalities in a handful of timely shows.

Historian Marc Stein On The Stonewall Riots: A Documentary History

by Marc Stein

Why did the Stonewall Riots occur when and where they did? 

50 Years After Stonewall, We’re Still Disagreeing About What Happened There. That’s Why the Archives Matter

by Jason Baumann

Given the tremendous gains made by LGBTQ activists in the intervening years, it can be difficult for people to remember the oppression suffered by LGBTQ people in the United States in the 1950s and ’60s. 

Video of the Week: Before Stonewall, Julius' Bar Went Down in Gay History

by John Paul Brammer

Three years before the Stonewall riots, Julius' Bar in New York City made gay history. Listen to the story of Dick Leitsch, the man who was denied service for being gay in this very bar in 1966 in what has come to be known as the historic "Sip-In."

Google Announces $1 Million Grant To Preserve Stories Of Stonewall Uprising

The grant will ensure that the story of the people who were at the Stonewall uprising 48 years ago is told.