but demanding our rights,” says GLF founding member Martha Shelley.
We weren’t pleading for acceptance, which is what the old gay groups had done. How pro-Ukraine alliance’s success explains why Biden is in Asia It inspired the creation of the radical Gay Liberation Front (GLF), which sought solidarity with other groups like the Black Panther Party and women’s liberation activists. Though the gay rights movement predates 1969, the Stonewall Uprising catalyzed the modern LGBTQ rights movement. “My feeling is that who did what doesn’t matter,” says Michael Bronski, author of “A Queer History of the United States.” “What matters is the ultimate political effect of it.” How did it influence LGBTQ activism? Who “threw the first brick” is also disputed, along with who actually showed up. Witnesses say the street resistance emerged haphazardly – not sparked by Judy Garland’s recent death, a myth mentioned in a homophobic news column at the time. Relying heavily on oral histories, the story of the Stonewall Uprising involves some lore. Riots continued on and off over a span of six days, writes historian David Carter in “Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution.” Raids on gay bars were routine in the late 1960s, but when police raided the Stonewall Inn during the early hours of June 28, 1969, the crowd fought back. Here’s a look at the meaning and myths behind the famous uprising.
The Stonewall Inn is more than a landmark for the LGBTQ community – it’s a symbol of resistance.