Stonewall Riots Research Paper

1365 Words6 Pages
Until the last half of the 20th century, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals were victims of discrimination in American society and in statutory laws which limited their basic rights. On the night of June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York’s Greenwich Village and arrested three drag queens by using excessive force. Bar patrons and spectators, that were tired of police oppression stood up and fought back. This was the first major protest for equal rights for homosexuals in America. The Stonewall Riots became a turning point for the homosexual community in the United States sparking the beginning of the gay rights movement and encouraged lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual, or “LGBT” to fight…show more content…
The night following the Stonewall riot, graffiti had appeared calling for “Gay Power” along Christopher Street, in Greenwich Village. During hours of the night, crowd bottles and stone flew through the air, and they were screaming “Gay Power” (Burns, 87).5 Few people were arrested during the days of the Stonewall disturbs. This event sparked the beginning of the Gay Rights Movement and encouraged homosexuals to advocate for their equal social rights in American society. The Stonewall Riots led to the formation of many gay rights groups (Burns, 88-92), 6 most notably, the Gay Liberation Front. Before the end of July, lesbians and gays from the New York Mattachine Society, a gay rights organization formed the Gay Liberation Front. The main purpose of this organization was advocated for sexual liberation for all people. Within a few days, the organization was created and young radical students in college campuses were providing meeting space for a Gay Liberation Front. By the end of 1970, three-hundred Gay Liberation Fronts had been created. The Gay Liberation Alliance was another group created after the Stonewall riots that promoted basic human rights, dignity, and freedom for all gay people. Some lesbians formed new groups such as Lesbian Feminist Liberation, an organization that advocates for the gay rights…show more content…
According to William Harms,9 “In 1973, 70 percent of people felt same-sex relations are ‘always wrong,’ and in 1987, 75 percent held that view. By 2000, however, that number dropped to 54 percent and by 2010 was down to 43.5 percent.” This reveals most people were approving and accepting sexual orientation of the “LGBT” movement. In addition with CNN News10 in 2014, President Obama signed an executive order to protect employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation. The main objective of this executive order is to provide equality for everyone in workplaces regardless of their sexual orientation. This is valuable because it contributes to the success of the Gay community, who have been struggling for their rights since the 20th century. This executive order that President Obama signed reveals the drastic change and the acceptance of LGBT in American society, in comparison of how they were treated in society before the Stonewall riots that even President Eisenhower insisted of the dismissal of all federal employees who were homosexual. Also fulfilling rights of the Universal Declaration of Humans Rights that articulates that all human beings deserve equal rights and should not be prejudiced by others. The Gay Rights Movements has been encouraging lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual to keep fighting for their rights.
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