Focus on this artwork and analyze the Background of the Stonewall Riots, the inspiration for Gay Liberation.
The Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village in June 1969 are widely remembered and commemorated as a watershed event in the movement for Gay liberation, and the later LGBT movements in New York City and worldwide. In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, police forces raided the Stonewall Inn, located on Christopher Street in New York City. This was a common occurrence during an era when it was still illegal to serve liquor to out lesbian and gay people, and payoffs to the police and organized crime were a routine part of running a gay bar. A number of patrons were harassed by police. This was also common, but this time patrons fought back. An agitated crowd of patrons, gay street kids from the nearby park, and officers alike began to congregate on the nearby sidewalks. Patrons and street kids were shouting at the police and physically fighting back as the police tried to arrest them. A number of individuals in the crowd threw coins at the police, who wound up barricading themselves inside the bar. At some point the bar was set on fire. Over the rest of the night and into the next morning, then again every night for the following week, thousands of people marched in the streets, alternately confronting and fleeing from the cops. Out of this rebellion, several new activist groups such as the Gay Liberation Front, the Gay Activists Alliance, and Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries were formed.
Gay Liberation Front New York City Christopher Street Gay liberation gay bar New York Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries Gay Activists Alliance LGBT Greenwich Village LGBT movements Stonewall Inn