Louis Mandelbaum Martha Shelley:They wanted to fit into American society the way it was. Lucian Truscott, IV, Reporter,The Village Voice:There were gay bars all over town, not just in Greenwich Village. Yvonne Ritter:"In drag," quote unquote, the downside was that you could get arrested, you could definitely get arrested if someone clocked you or someone spooked that you were not really what you appeared to be on the outside. Doric Wilson Seymour Pine, Deputy Inspector, Morals Division, NYPD:We had maybe six people and by this time there were several thousand outside. ITN Source We'd say, "Here comes Lillian.". Danny Garvin:Everybody would just freeze or clam up. Historic Films Jorge Garcia-Spitz And then there were all these priests ranting in church about certain places not to go, so you kind of knew where you could go by what you were told not to do. Judith Kuchar ", Martin Boyce:People in the neighborhood, the most unlikely people were starting to support it. But we couldn't hold out very long. Fred Sargeant:We knew that they were serving drinks out of vats and buckets of water and believed that there had been some disease that had been passed. Dick Leitsch:You read about Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams and Gore Vidal and all these actors and stuff, Liberace and all these people running around doing all these things and then you came to New York and you found out, well maybe they're doing them but, you know, us middle-class homosexuals, we're getting busted all the time, every time we have a place to go, it gets raided. The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle, Queer (In)Justice: The Criminalization of LGBT People in the United States. The last time I saw him, he was a walking vegetable. But that's only partially true. Narrator (Archival):This is a nation of laws. The Stonewall riots, as they came to be known, marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement in the United States and around the world. Howard Smith, Reporter,The Village Voice:At a certain point, it felt pretty dangerous to me but I noticed that the cop that seemed in charge, he said you know what, we have to go inside for safety. A Q-Ball Productions film for AMERICAN EXPERIENCE Based on But I had only stuck my head in once at the Stonewall. But we're going to pay dearly for this. Marjorie Duffield That's what gave oxygen to the fire. I was celebrating my birthday at the Stonewall. Martin Boyce:It was thrilling. Dick Leitsch:We wore suits and ties because we wanted people, in the public, who were wearing suits and ties, to identify with us. Alfredo del Rio, Archival Still and Motion Images Courtesy of The mirrors, all the bottles of liquor, the jukebox, the cigarette machines. And the harder she fought, the more the cops were beating her up and the madder the crowd got. Because its all right in the Village, but the minute we cross 14th street, if there's only ten of us, God knows what's going to happen to us.". It was like a reward. You see, Ralph was a homosexual. Today, that event is seen as the start of the gay civil rights movement, but gay activists and organizations were standing up to harassment and discrimination years before. People talk about being in and out now, there was no out, there was just in. ABCNEWS VideoSource All rights reserved. Martha Shelley:When I was growing up in the '50s, I was supposed to get married to some guy, produce, you know, the usual 2.3 children, and I could look at a guy and say, "Well, objectively he's good looking," but I didn't feel anything, just didn't make any sense to me. And that's what it was, it was a war. This, to a homosexual, is no choice at all. And Howard said, "Boy there's like a riot gonna happen here," and I said, "yeah." Slate:Boys Beware(1961) Public Service Announcement. More than a half-century after its release, " The Queen " serves as a powerful time capsule of queer life as it existed before the 1969 Stonewall uprising. Raymond Castro:New York City subways, parks, public bathrooms, you name it. The award winning film Before Stonewall pries open the closet door, setting free the dramatic story of the sometimes horrifying public and private existences experienced by gay and lesbian Americans since the 1920s. I am not alone, there are other people that feel exactly the same way.". Dick Leitsch:Mattachino in Italy were court jesters; the only people in the whole kingdom who could speak truth to the king because they did it with a smile. Howard Smith, Reporter,The Village Voice:That night I'm in my office, I looked down the street, and I could see the Stonewall sign and I started to see some activity in front. And I ran into Howard Smith on the street,The Village Voicewas right there. Is that conceivable? I really thought that, you know, we did it. A word that would be used in the 1960s for gay men and lesbians. Tommy Lanigan-Schmidt:What was so good about the Stonewall was that you could dance slow there. There were occasions where you did see people get night-sticked, or disappear into a group of police and, you know, everybody knew that was not going to have a good end. Milestones in the American Gay Rights Movement. Doric Wilson:There was joy because the cops weren't winning. They could be judges, lawyers. Beginning of our night out started early. They'd think I'm a cop even though I had a big Jew-fro haircut and a big handlebar mustache at the time. Doing things like that. The history of the Gay and Lesbian community before the Stonewall riots began the major gay rights movement. Howard Smith, Reporter,The Village Voice:And I keep listening and listening and listening, hoping I'm gonna hear sirens any minute and I was very freaked. Seymour Pine, Deputy Inspector, Morals Division, NYPD:It was always hands up, what do you want? Tommy Lanigan-Schmidt:Those of us that were the street kids we didn't think much about the past or the future. It was nonsense, it was nonsense, it was all the people there, that were reacting and opposing what was occurring. Things were just changing. Mike Wallace (Archival):Dr. Charles Socarides is a New York psychoanalyst at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine. Hear more of the conversation and historical interviews at the audio link. Martha Babcock A sickness of the mind. I'm losing everything that I have. Susan Liberti To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City, activists rode their motorcycles during the city's 1989 gay-pride parade. John O'Brien:Our goal was to hurt those police. All I knew about was that I heard that there were people down in Times Square who were gay and that's where I went to. Revealing and often humorous, this widely acclaimed film relives the emotionally-charged sparking of today's gay rights movement . Howard Smith, Reporter,The Village Voice:It really should have been called Stonewall uprising. Activists had been working for change long before Stonewall. I made friends that first day. That was our world, that block. Cop (Archival):Anyone can walk into that men's room, any child can walk in there, and see what you guys were doing. BBC Worldwide Americas It was tremendous freedom. All kinds of designers, boxers, big museum people. In the Life The homosexual, bitterly aware of his rejection, responds by going underground. Dick Leitsch:There were Black Panthers and there were anti-war people. My last name being Garvin, I'd be called Danny Gay-vin. The film combined personal interviews, snapshots and home movies, together with historical footage. I never believed in that. Danny Garvin Because he was homosexual. And there, we weren't allowed to be alone, the police would raid us still. Susana Fernandes That's it. Scott Kardel, Project Administration It premiered at the 1984 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in the United States on June 27, 1985. A sickness that was not visible like smallpox, but no less dangerous and contagious. And you will be caught, don't think you won't be caught, because this is one thing you cannot get away with. A person marching in a gay rights parade along New York's Fifth Avenue on July 7th, 1979. Daniel Pine Dan Bodner So anything that would set us off, we would go into action. Calling 'em names, telling 'em how good-looking they were, grabbing their butts. So you couldn't have a license to practice law, you couldn't be a licensed doctor. Seymour Pine, Deputy Inspector, Morals Division, NYPD:We didn't have the manpower, and the manpower for the other side was coming like it was a real war. I say, I cannot tell this without tearing up. The documentary "Before Stonewall" was very educational and interesting because it shows a retail group that fought for the right to integrate into the society and was where the homosexual revolution occurred. I could never let that happen and never did. June 21, 2019 1:29 PM EDT. Stonewall: The Riots that Sparked the Gay Revolution Slate:The Homosexuals(1967), CBS Reports. And I said to myself, "Oh my God, this will not last.". And they wore dark police uniforms and riot helmets and they had billy clubs and they had big plastic shields, like Roman army, and they actually formed a phalanx, and just marched down Christopher Street and kind of pushed us in front of them. There's a little door that slides open with this power-hungry nut behind that, you see this much of your eyes, and he sees that much of your face, and then he decides whether you're going to get in. Chris Mara, Production Assistants Stonewall Uprising Program Transcript Slate: In 1969, homosexual acts were illegal in every state except Illinois. I just thought you had to get through this, and I thought I could get through it, but you really had to be smart about it. Other images in this film are This was a highly unusual raid, going in there in the middle of the night with a full crowd, the Mafia hasn't been alerted, the Sixth Precinct hasn't been alerted. (158) 7.5 1 h 26 min 1985 13+. If that didn't work, they would do things like aversive conditioning, you know, show you pornography and then give you an electric shock. Audience Member (Archival):I was wondering if you think that there are any quote "happy homosexuals" for whom homosexuality would be, in a way, their best adjustment in life? They were getting more ferocious. Fred Sargeant:In the '60s, I met Craig Rodwell who was running the Oscar Wilde Bookshop. Homosexuals do not want that, you might find some fringe character someplace who says that that's what he wants. Doric Wilson:In those days, the idea of walking in daylight, with a sign saying, "I'm a faggot," was horren--, nobody, nobody was ready to do that. Lilli M. Vincenz NBC News Archives In 1969 the police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City's Greenwich Village, leading to three nights of rioting by the city's LGBT community. One never knows when the homosexual is about. Richard Enman (Archival):Well, let me say, first of all, what type of laws we are not after, because there has been much to-do that the Society was in favor of the legalization of marriage between homosexuals, and the adoption of children, and such as that, and that is not at all factual at all. This produced an enormous amount of anger within the lesbian and gay community in New York City and in other parts of America. Seymour Pine, Deputy Inspector, Morals Division, NYPD:Well, we did use the small hoses on the fire extinguishers. Michael Dolan, Technical Advisors Almost anything you could name. Atascadero was known in gay circles as the Dachau for queers, and appropriately so. But I gave it up about, oh I forget, some years ago, over four years ago. I mean, I came out in Central Park and other places. So it was a perfect storm for the police. Sophie Cabott Black William Eskridge, Professor of Law:The federal government would fire you, school boards would fire you. Martin Boyce:You could be beaten, you could have your head smashed in a men's room because you were looking the wrong way. I mean it didn't stop after that. John O'Brien:It was definitely dark, it was definitely smelly and raunchy and dirty and that's the only places that we had to meet each other, was in the very dirty, despicable places. Richard Enman (Archival):Present laws give the adult homosexual only the choice of being, to simplify the matter, heterosexual and legal or homosexual and illegal. But we went down to the trucks and there, people would have sex. Martin Boyce Jerry Hoose:I mean the riot squad was used to riots. And this went on for hours. Before Stonewall - Trailer BuskFilms 12.6K subscribers Subscribe 14K views 10 years ago Watch the full film here (UK & IRE only): http://buskfilms.com/films/before-sto. David Alpert And Vito and I walked the rest of the whole thing with tears running down our face. I mean does anyone know what that is? John O'Brien:Cops got hurt. Raymond Castro:There were mesh garbage cans being lit up on fire and being thrown at the police. Her most recent film, Bones of Contention, premiered in the 2016 Berlin International Janice Flood People could take shots at us. Franco Sacchi, Additional Animation and Effects For those kisses. These homosexuals glorify unnatural sex acts. But we had to follow up, we couldn't just let that be a blip that disappeared. Yvonne Ritter:It's like people who are, you know, black people who are used to being mistreated, and going to the back of the bus and I guess this was sort of our going to the back of the bus. A gay rights march in New York in favor of the 1968 Civil Rights Act being amended to include gay rights. Danny Garvin:There was more anger and more fight the second night. Somebody grabbed me by the leg and told me I wasn't going anywhere. Here are my ID cards, you knew they were phonies. You know. This 19-year-old serviceman left his girlfriend on the beach to go to a men's room in a park nearby where he knew that he could find a homosexual contact. Howard Smith, Reporter,The Village Voice:I had been in some gay bars either for a story or gay friends would say, "Oh we're going to go in for a drink there, come on in, are you too uptight to go in?" For the first time the next person stood up. So I run down there. Howard Smith, Reporter,The Village Voice:It was getting worse and worse. Everyone from the street kids who were white and black kids from the South. And there was tear gas on Saturday night, right in front of the Stonewall. John O'Brien:The election was in November of 1969 and this was the summer of 1969, this was June. Because to be gay represented to me either very, super effeminate men or older men who hung out in the upper movie theatres on 42nd Street or in the subway T-rooms, who'd be masturbating. It gives back a little of the terror they gave in my life. Frank Simon's documentary follows the drag contestants of 1967's Miss All-American Camp Beauty Pageant, capturing plenty of on- and offstage drama along the way. And if enough people broke through they would be killed and I would be killed. Slate:In 1969, homosexual acts were illegal in every state except Illinois. Martin Boyce:I heard about the trucks, which to me was fascinated me, you know, it had an imagination thing that was like Marseilles, how can it only be a few blocks away? Seymour Pine, Deputy Inspector, Morals Division, NYPD:If someone was dressed as a woman, you had to have a female police officer go in with her. Scott McPartland/Getty Images But everybody knew it wasn't normal stuff and everyone was on edge and that was the worst part of it because you knew they were on edge and you knew that the first shot that was fired meant all the shots would be fired. The medical experimentation in Atascadero included administering, to gay people, a drug that simulated the experience of drowning; in other words, a pharmacological example of waterboarding. Mafia house beer? Tires were slashed on police cars and it just went on all night long. Available via license: Content may be subject to . And in a sense the Stonewall riots said, "Get off our backs, deliver on the promise." What Jimmy didn't know is that Ralph was sick. Martha Shelley:We participated in demonstrations in Philadelphia at Independence Hall. Mike Wallace (Archival):The average homosexual, if there be such, is promiscuous. Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community is a 1984 American documentary film about the LGBT community prior to the 1969 Stonewall riots. Yvonne Ritter:I did try to get out of the bar and I thought that there might be a way out through one of the bathrooms. You knew you could ruin them for life. This was in front of the police. Ed Koch, Councilman, New York City:The Stonewall, they didn't have a liquor license and they were raided by the cops regularly and there were pay-offs to the cops, it was awful. Evan Eames Hugh Bush In a spontaneous show of support and frustration, the citys gay community rioted for three nights in the streets, an event that is considered the birth of the modern Gay Rights Movement. Howard Smith, Reporter,The Village Voice:I had a column inThe Village Voicethat ran from '66 all the way through '84. I grew up in a very Catholic household and the conflict of issues of redemption, of is it possible that if you are this thing called homosexual, is it possible to be redeemed? Trevor, Post Production As kids, we played King Kong. Few photographs of the raid and the riots that followed exist. Jerry Hoose:The bar itself was a toilet. I mean I'm talking like sardines. That summer, New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in Greenwich Village. John O'Brien:And deep down I believed because I was gay and couldn't speak out for my rights, was probably one of the reasons that I was so active in the Civil Rights Movement. John O'Brien:I was with a group that we actually took a parking meter out of theground, three or four people, and we used it as a battering ram. If you would like to read more on the topic, here's a list: Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and NPR One. But the before section, I really wanted people to have a sense of what it felt like to be gay, lesbian, transgender, before Stonewall and before you have this mass civil rights movement that comes after Stonewall. We didn't want to come on, you know, wearing fuzzy sweaters and lipstick, you know, and being freaks. You throw into that, that the Stonewall was raided the previous Tuesday night. And so Howard said, "We've got police press passes upstairs." Because as the police moved back, we were conscious, all of us, of the area we were controlling and now we were in control of the area because we were surrounded the bar, we were moving in, they were moving back. Dick Leitsch:Well, gay bars were the social centers of gay life. That night, the police ran from us, the lowliest of the low. Mary Queen of the Scotch, Congo Woman, Captain Faggot, Miss Twiggy. [2][3] Later in 2019, the film was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[4][5][6]. Jerry Hoose:And we were going fast. [1] To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in 2019, the film was restored and re-released by First Run Features in June 2019. John O'Brien:I knew that the words that were being said to put down people, was about me. How do you think that would affect him mentally, for the rest of their lives if they saw an act like that being? Transcript Enlarge this image To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City, activists rode their motorcycles during the city's 1989 gay-pride parade. I didn't think I could have been any prettier than that night. Nobody. Narrator (Archival):Richard Enman, president of the Mattachine Society of Florida, whose goal is to legalize homosexuality between consenting adults, was a reluctant participant in tonight's program. [00:00:55] Oh, my God. Raymond Castro:So then I got pushed back in, into the Stonewall by these plain clothes cops and they would not let me out, they didn't let anybody out. Lucian Truscott, IV, Reporter,The Village Voice:They started busting cans of tear gas. Danny Garvin:We had thought of women's rights, we had thought of black rights, all kinds of human rights, but we never thought of gay rights, and whenever we got kicked out of a bar before, we never came together. And so there was this drag queen standing on the corner, so they go up and make a sexual offer and they'd get busted. Joe DeCola This 1955 educational film warns of homosexuality, calling it "a sickness of the mind.". Getting then in the car, rocking them back and forth. Oh, tell me about your anxiety. And they were having a meeting at town hall and there were 400 guys who showed up, and I think a couple of women, talking about these riots, 'cause everybody was really energized and upset and angry about it. I have pondered this as "Before Stonewall," my first feature documentary, is back in cinemas after 35 years. We assembled on Christopher Street at 6th Avenue, to march. We were thinking about survival. Jerry Hoose Cause we could feel a sense of love for each other that we couldn't show out on the street, because you couldn't show any affection out on the street. But it was a refuge, it was a temporary refuge from the street. Martin Boyce:There were these two black, like, banjee guys, and they were saying, "What's goin' on man?" We didn't expect we'd ever get to Central Park. Martin Boyce:And I remember moving into the open space and grabbing onto two of my friends and we started singing and doing a kick line. And I hadn't had enough sleep, so I was in a somewhat feverish state, and I thought, "We have to do something, we have to do something," and I thought, "We have to have a protest march of our own." That night, we printed a box, we had 5,000. My father said, "About time you fags rioted.". Raymond Castro:I'd go in there and I would look and I would just cringe because, you know, people would start touching me, and "Hello, what are you doing there if you don't want to be touched?" Well, little did he know that what was gonna to happen later on was to make history. Danny Garvin:With Waverly Street coming in there, West Fourth coming in there, Seventh Avenue coming in there, Christopher Street coming in there, there was no way to contain us. At least if you had press, maybe your head wouldn't get busted. Amber Hall Just let's see if they can. Danny Garvin:We were talking about the revolution happening and we were walking up 7th Avenue and I was thinking it was either Black Panthers or the Young Lords were going to start it and we turned the corner from 7th Avenue onto Christopher Street and we saw the paddy wagon pull up there. This is one thing that if you don't get caught by us, you'll be caught by yourself. Martin Boyce:And then more police came, and it didn't stop. Martin Boyce:Well, in the front part of the bar would be like "A" gays, like regular gays, that didn't go in any kind of drag, didn't use the word "she," that type, but they were gay, a hundred percent gay.
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