It Started with an Act of Rebellion at the Stonewall Inn

It was 1:20 A.M. on Saturday, June 28, 1969 in Greenwich Village, New York. Four plain clothes policemen, two officers in uniform and Detective Charles Smythe, and Deputy Inspector Seymour Pine arrived at the Stonewall Inn. There were already four undercover policemen (and policewomen) inside. 

"Police! We're taking the place!" The police yelled upon entering, which caused a flurry of chaos. The bar had not been tipped off to this night's raid (as they usually were. People ran for the doors and the windows in the bathroom, but the police had blocked off all the exits.

The raid did not go as planned. 

On a normal raid night, the police would line up the patrons and check their identity. Female officers would also take patrons they perceived to be women to the bathroom to verify their gender. Then the officers would arrest any drag queens or cross-dressers.

As the patrons were slowly released from the bar, they didn't immediately leave. They stood and watched, some of them performed for the growing crowd. The tension began to rise as the crowd outside grew to be 10 times as large as the patrons still inside the bar. 

Then, one woman cried out at the crowd as she was beaten repeatedly with a baton, "why don't you do something?" This single phrase pushed the crowd into violent action.

Despite calling for more backup, the police were humiliated. Trans men and women created a kick line to mock their police line attempting to push the crowd back. Their patrol cars were overturned. And the crowd laughed and boo'd the police. 

This rebellion lasted for six days with on and off again clashes with the police.

The Stonewall Inn

The Stonewall Inn were originally built as horse stables in the 1840s. It was then converted into a bakery, followed by a restaurant. The space didn't open as a gay bar until 1967. It was purchased by Genovese crime family mafiosos and reopened as the bar we all know today. 

Because the New York State Liquor Authority prohibited serving alcohol to "disorderly" (i.e., gay) people, the bar operated without a liquor license as a "private club." Owned by the Mafia, the venue served watered-down drinks but offered a rare, vital refuge where patrons could dance and socialize openly. 

The site is now a National Monument. 

Other Notable Uprisings

While Stonewall built notoriety, it is important to point out that there were other uprisings against police, and entrapment of the LGBTQ+ communities before Stonewall. These events and the people involved have not received historical recognition as Stonewall, but are just as important to the history of the LGBTQ struggle in the US. Some of the pre-Stonewall uprisings included: 

• Pepper Hill Club Raid, Baltimore, Maryland in 1955
• Hazel's Inn, Sharp Park, California February 1956
• Coopers Do-Nut Raid, Los Angeles, California, 1959
• Black Nite Brawl, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, August 5, 1961
• Dewey’s Lunch Counter Sit-In, Philadelphia, 1965
• Compton's Cafeteria Raid, San Francisco, California, 1966
• Black Cat Raid, Los Angeles, California, 1967

Laws Regarding the LGBTQ+ Community

During the time of the 1969 Stonewall Riots, almost everything about living openly as an LGBTQ person in the United States was a violation of local, state, or federal laws. 

Sodomy Laws: In 1969, nearly every state had laws that criminalized consensual same-sex sexual activity. A conviction could result in heavy fines and lengthy prison sentences.

Masquerade and "Three-Piece" Laws: Police used anti-cross-dressing or "masquerade" laws to target and arrest transgender, gender non-conforming, and drag individuals. While a specific "three-article rule" (requiring a person to wear at least three gender-appropriate articles of clothing to avoid arrest) was a popular enforcement tool, police generally cited various vague or old vagrancy laws to justify these arrests.

Liquor Laws: Operating a bar that willingly served known homosexuals was illegal in many states. Because of this, many LGBTQ establishments operated without liquor licenses, leaving them without legal protections and making them easy targets for police raids and mafia extortion.

Federal Ban on Homosexuality: The U.S. government barred LGBTQ+ individuals from federal employment, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) kept lists of known homosexuals, their favored establishments, and their friends.

Acts of Rebellion Still Resonate Today

Patrons of the Stonewall Uprisings have said that it was not a riot, it was a rebellion. A rebellion against police brutality, unfair targeting and harassment, and the inability to live their truth. 

And that act of rebellion still resonates today. While a lot of those laws have been removed, we are still seeing the LGBTQ+ targeted today. 

If you want to read more about the history of the Stonewall uprisings and the history of LGBTQ+ in America, check out our full catalog of LGBTQ+ history.