E25: The Stonewall riots and Pride at 50, part 1

Working Class History

Society & Culture, Education, History

5.0 • 813 Ratings

🗓️ 27 May 2019

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Summer 2019 marks 50 years since the iconic rebellion against the police raid of the Stonewall Inn in New York City. The LGBTQ patrons and locals, many of them people of colour, and most of them working class, fought back against the police in 6 days of rioting. Then they organised, revolutionising the LGBTQ rights movement, and sparking Pride.
In honour of Pride month, WCH are releasing a series of episodes about LGBTQ history. We begin with a double episode telling the story of the Stonewall rebellion, in the words of participants.
After the rebellion, participants in it, along with others, set up the Gay Liberation Front, and then organised a protest on its first anniversary, 28 June 1970, which became Pride.
This is part 1. Part 2 is out for early listening by our patreon supporters. You can listen and support us here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/e22-stonewall-at-26826103
We also have a bonus episode about this exclusively for our patreon supporters, here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/e22-1-stonewall-26826531
We have produced a range of Stonewall 50th anniversary merchandise to help support our work, as well as the activism of former Stonewall riot participants. Check it out here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/lgbtq-history
More information, as well as photos and full show notes available here on our website: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e25-the-stonewall-riots-and-pride-at-50/

Transcript

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0:00.0	In the summer of 1969, half a century ago, police violently raided the Stonewall Inn in New York City.
0:07.0	Police raids on gay bars were common, but this time, something changed.
0:11.0	The LGBTQ patrons and passers by, many of them people of colour, fought back, sparking days of writing, then they began organising.
0:19.0	They birthed the modern gay liberation movement and pride, which is now a global phenomenon.
0:24.2	This is working class history.
0:31.2	Stand up, stand up, stand up, stand up, stay.
0:36.6	We're being at stand up gay girls
0:40.6	Yes we have
0:41.5	We don't stand up for he cries
0:46.6	The Stonewall riots
0:48.1	Or Stonewall Rebellion took place in 1969
0:50.8	50 years ago this June
0:52.4	Though there'd been protests against police for aid to gay bars
0:55.4	in the US beforehand, for example, at Compton's cafeteria in San Francisco in 1966 and in
1:01.5	LA in 1967 outside the black cat bar, Stonewall was different. Firstly, because of its militancy
1:07.8	and the extent of the violence in terms of confrontation
1:10.9	with the police and destruction of property, secondly, it wasn't just a one-off protest
1:15.2	or incident, it lasted for six days.
1:18.3	Thirdly, it was reported about at the time in the mainstream press, and it had a couple of
1:22.1	photographs taken, unlike the previous ones.
1:25.1	And most importantly, the participants and the local LGBT community
1:29.3	used the event as a springboard to organise. They set up the Gay Liberation Front,
	...

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