Before The Stonewall Summary

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The documentary Before the StoneWall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community chronicles the experiences of gay American as the fight for inclusion and equality within American society. The film depict the experiences of various gay men and women who fought for the right to live their lives openly and without fear. The Stone Wall Inn, which is referenced in the title of the documentary, is a gay tavern in New York City which was the sight of the StoneWall Riots. The riots were violence demonstrations put on by gay members of New York City’s Greenwich community. The riots were had in protest to unjust police raids on gay establishments and was a defining event which led to the gay liberation movement within America. Gay people in America had been designated to a subculture within called The Twilight World. The Twilight Light World was comprised of gays, lesbians, prostitutes, pimps, criminals and any other persons said to be of doubtful virtue. Having been marginalized by society many gay saw denying their sexuality as their only means of enjoying a life with a measure of normalcy. The members of the gay community who dared to live their lives in the open faced many social obstacle, such being ostracized from…show more content…
The military linked people from various parts of America and gay men and women began to realize they were not alone. Gay men and women served in the military and development relationships with people who thought as they did. Members of the gay community ,in an effort to find acceptance, began to settle in major port cities in America were they could create their own communities. It was in communities such as Greenwich Village were gays and lesbian could be anonymous and free from critical family opinions. Here in communities like Greenwich gays and lesbians developed the confidence to be themselves regardless of social pressures. A period social development which had been deny them where they were

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