The Stonewall Riots, a time of turbulence
A reflection on LGBTQ+ people of colour
During this time of chaos and calamity amidst the merciless murder of unarmed black civilian George Floyd by a so-called “policeman”, the tearing down of statues of icons in British history that many once deemed as inspiring world leaders, and also the fact that it is Pride Month, I think it is a perfect time to mix this frenzy of media to look back on the Stonewall Riots of 1969 in New York City, a protest lead by queer people of colour fighting against an entire system’s intolerance of anything that is not of the “norm”.
The Riots
In mid-20th century America, there was an anti-LGBT establishment in place where LGBTQ+ people were treated as second class citizens. However, in the late 1960s more social and political movements were led by the LGBTQ+ community, standing up against a system so unscrupulous (and seemingly very much is nowadays).
This was no easy feat I do add, just think of it as fighting an uphill battle with the effect of gravity quadrupled (I am sure if my GCSE Physics teacher reads this, she will fact check me but don’t worry, I’m not taking IB physics…)
However, these small protests added up over time, and eventually served as the catalyst to the paramount Stonewall Riots in New York City. The Stonewall Inn was a pub which catered specifically to the members of the LGBTQ+ community, and acted as a refuge for them to seek protection from verbal and physical harassment enforced by the police.
Characteristic of the time, police raids were common in these gay bars, where people would be arrested and assaulted by police purely on their orientations. Tensions started to increase rapidly when the police force were met with more and more resistance by LGBTQ+ people, eventually until the police became overwhelmed in the Stonewall Riots. The rest was history (rainbow coloured history).
Marsha P. Johnson, black transgender woman, an LGBTQ+ icon
Marsha was a highly prominent LGBTQ+ activist during the Stonewall Riots, and helped pave the way for the progression of LGBTQ+ rights to come, and yet she is merely invisible in our history books.
“Attention exam boards, listen up and kindly take notes, I frankly do not care for learning about the structure of a Norman monastery.”
On 28 June 1969, during the riots, she was reported to have shouted “I got my civil rights” at a group of violent “straight” male policemen (I mean, you never know), and proceeded to throw a brick through the windshield of a police car. Moreover, she also helped lead the Christopher Street Liberation Day, to mark the one year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Alongside her friend and fellow activist Slyvis Rivera, another trans woman of colour, her presence at this first ever Pride rally was respected and honoured, and she continued her work against homophobia and prejudice against the LGBTQ+ community for years to come.
A kind of rant (an absolutely necessary one)
LGBTQ+ people of colour such as Martha have helped pave the way for the establishment of the rights citizens have today, and we should all sincerely be grateful for their sacrifices to make the future brighter for us all.
Although in most places around the world the LGBTQ+ community are at least “accepted”, people still face discrimination across the world, ranging from places in the Southern states of America, to the Middle East. Yes, you heard me correctly, I said “America”.
“The land of the free”- I think not.
Many people would argue that many Republicans possess racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic views, with the belief that the ringleader is none other than Trump. The irrevocable audacity he has when he states that he’s the “first American President” to advocate LGBTQ+ rights in every country in the world, yet appoints Mike Pence as Vice President, a homophobe who believes in gay conversion therapy (he stated that he supported the use of federal funding to treat people seeking to “change their sexual behaviour”).
There is absolutely no way to misinterpret this.
And also, just a quick friendly reminder that UK PM Boris Johnson blocked the bill to make conversion therapy illegal, and also the fact that Conservative politician Jacob Rees-Mogg voted against same-sex marriage, and yet people always hound me with “why are you so left wing?”.
Some of these clowns never cease to amuse me. A thought – who needs to go to a circus when you can converse with narrow-minded people who are incapable of formulating their own opinion?
On the pressing matter of systemic racism, as we have seen with the cold-blooded murder of George Floyd and many many other people of colour, we must stand united as ever in our demand for change, now.
But people ask why we haven’t got change yet, why in 2020 systemic racism in America and around the world is still well and truly alive, why the police force has been getting away with the domestic violence and down right murder of people of colour.
Choose to make a positive influence in this world and be kind to other people the way that you also expect kindness in return, or choose to embarrass yourself and intoxicate the world with your vile values of discrimination and live an obsolete life of hatred.
Think on that.
Cover image by © Tobi Webster
Second and third images by © Rhododendrites and Gary LeGault [CC-BY-SA]
Fourth image by © Pixabay