 |
| Stonewall Inn, 1969 |
Kairos of the Stonewall Demonstrators
One of the most influential moments in gay history in America, were the Stonewall riots in 1969. These riots occurred after a police raid of the Stonewall Inn, a bar known to cater to the gay demographic of New York’s Greenwich Village. The raid did not go anything at all like the routine raids that occurred across the country in gay bars every night. Here, the clientele and passer-bys resisted the police, ensuing riots both in the city and all of America continued for several days following the raid. It was against this dramatic background when many demonstrations took place on behalf of gay rights. One such protest is captured in the photograph to the right, which effectively captures the exigence of the gay rights movement. The man’s sign is a direct call to action: “Smash Gay Oppression!”. That is not a mere suggestion, and it does not provide time for supporters to think about what needs to be done or the best way to go about doing it; it simply tells viewers that this is the time to rise up and demand equality. In this way, both the “Come Out!” article and this photograph seize the kairotic moment the late 1960s presented to the gay rights movement, and called for some sort of immediate change.
You did a great job of explaining the context of the LGBTQ oppression that occurred in the 1960s and the events leading up to the Stonewall riots. I think that to elaborate a little more on the importance of Stonewall you could have mentioned the reactions that a majority of people had to the riots and what changes that the riots impacted. I think this would have made your post a little stronger to say how this riot affected the gay rights movement and whether or not it inspired supporters to "rise up and demand equality".
ReplyDeleteThis was a great post. You really went into depth about the LGBTQ oppression and riots. The post was precise and hit every point that was supposed to be talked about. I'm not sure if the Stonewall riot was really important in the gay rights movement history, but if it was you could have expanded a bit on how it was important. Overall the post was great and well written.
ReplyDeleteThis was a wonderful post. You explained the beginning and start of the gay rights movement very well. I liked how you talked about the Stonewall riots in detail. The details demonstrate to a reader, unfamiliar with the LGBTQ movement, how the LGBTQ movement began and reasons behind it.
ReplyDelete