US History

Postwar United States (1945 to early 1970s)

Contemporary United States (1968 to the present)

Social Movements

This collection uses primary sources to explore the Stonewall Riots and their impact on the Gay Liberation Movement.

An excerpt from a 1958 radio program discussing gay people in the US.

This recording from 1958—the earliest known radio recording to openly discuss homosexuality—features an interview with the editor of the Mattachine Society's newsletter, the *Mattachine Review*. The Mattachine Society is one of the oldest gay rights organizations in the United States. The interview also features Dr. Blanche Baker, a psychologist noted for her belief, rarely shared at the time, that homosexuality is not an abnormality or an illness, and Leah Gailey, the mother of a gay man. The guests discuss the question of whether homosexuality is a product of biology or environment, and the question of whether to eliminate gestures that distinguish gay people or to educate the public that these mannerisms are not significant. Despite the groundbreaking nature of this interview, gay people are still discussed with references to mental illness, childhood trauma, and damaged parent-child relationships.

A letter from Phil Johnson to Circle of Friends board members outlining the history of the organization.

The Circle of Friends, founded in 1965, was the first gay organization in Dallas, Texas. Phil Johnson, a founding member, also founded the Dallas Gay Historic Archives. Since it was illegal to be openly gay in Texas until 2003, Circle of Friends partnered with straight allies to help protect its members from harassment and discrimination. This letter from Phil Johnson, on Circle of Friends letterhead, was written to the organization’s board members. It includes a brief description and history of the organization and highlights partnerships among religious clerics, straight people, and gay advocates.

A photograph of the window of the Stonewall Inn in New York City, 1969.

The Stonewall Inn was a gay bar located in Greenwich Village in New York City. On the night of June 28, 1969, New York City detectives conducted a raid of the bar. The raid set off the Stonewall uprising, a group of demonstrations by LGBT community members against the police, in the days afterwards. This graffiti appeared on the window of the Stonewall Inn after the raid. The other half of the graffiti was erased by the time Diana Davies photographed it. Davies is one of several American photojournalists who chronicled the gay liberation movement of the 1960s and 1970s. 

A photograph of the Gay Liberation Front picketing Time, Inc., in 1969.

This picture, taken by photojournalist Diana Davies, shows two lesbian women picketing in front of the Time-Life Building in New York City as part of a Gay Liberation Front protest. One woman holds a sign stating “I am a human being.” The second woman’s sign is partially blocked. It reads, “Time, Inc. Don’t dictate morality.” The Gay Liberation Front fought for civil rights for gay people and protested racism and capitalism. They also criticized the institution of marriage and the traditional family. The GLF was part of an activist movement that rejected those 1950s homophile movements that still allowed gay people to be classified as defective morally or medically. 

The Gay Liberation Front platform statement, December 2, 1970.

The purpose of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was to provide the liberation of gay men and women. Their goal was to "establish a society in which all people enjoy freedom of existence and freedom to relate to each other in whatever manner they see fit, without fear of oppression or condemnation." This typed statement begins with a thorough description of the three types of oppression identified by the GLF: societal, psychological, and legal/quasi-political. It describes how gay men and women can work against themselves and each other due to “entrenched societal programming.” The statement calls for cooperation and discussion among gay men and women but does not mention or acknowledge people of color.

A photograph of Gay Liberation Front members at a demonstration with a poster saying “Sappho was a right-on woman.”

In 1972, Barbara Love, a former CBS censor, and Sydney Abbott, a staff member at the New York City Department of Mental Health, published *Sappho Was a Right-On Woman*. The book reflected the Gay Liberation Front’s struggle against societal structures—traditional families, traditional gender roles, parental bonds—and described in detail the connection between lesbianism and feminism. The authors claim that lesbians will only be able to live a free life if they collaborate with the gay liberation and women’s liberation movements to rid society of all oppressive behaviors and policies. (More information can be found in this [1973 New York Times article](http://www.nytimes.com/1973/02/25/archives/sappho-was-a-righton-woman-a-liberated-view-of-lesbianism-by-sidney.html).)

A radio interview with a lesbian named Chris about her identity and politics, 1972.

In this 1972 radio program, the host interviews Chris, a lesbian, asking her to define herself as either primarily a woman or primarily a lesbian. The interview explores Chris’s experience with coming out to friends, how she negotiates her identity with family members, and how she relates to a host of other issues, including workplace harassment and interactions with men, whether gay or straight.

An excerpt from a 1978 debate about California Proposition 6, an effort to ban gay men and women from working in California public schools.

In this excerpt from an episode of Voter’s Pipeline, California State Senator John Briggs and “No on 6” spokesperson Alan Robertson debate California Proposition 6, which appeared on the 1978 ballot. Voter’s Pipeline was a talk show focused on debating political questions. Proposition 6, commonly known as the Briggs Initiative, was an effort by John Briggs, a conservative politician from California, to ban gay men and women from teaching in California public schools. Because of the work of activists, Proposition 6 faced overwhelming opposition and failed to pass. 

A 1985 letter from Don Baker, a gay rights activist, to Dallas City Councilwoman Lori Palmer regarding gay rights.

Don Baker, a gay rights activist, sent this typed letter to Lori Palmer, a Dallas, Texas, city councilwoman. The letter discusses gay rights activism and terminology used to describe gay people. In the letter, Don refers to an ongoing effort to partner with the Dallas city council to “pursue the cause for gay rights.” He refers to an approach taken by the city council of Houston, which collected information on discriminatory practices against gay and lesbian community members, an approach he feels would be acceptable to people who did not support gay rights efforts. The letter serves as an example of the shift in advocacy language from the 1950s to the 1980s, from describing gay men and women as individuals attracted to same-sex partners to describing affectional orientation as a “total emotional, psychological, and erotic state of being.”

A Stonewall GLBT button.

This button commemorates the Stonewall riots and features a powerful image of two fists, recalling similar imagery used by civil rights activists in the African American community. The text surrounding the image reads "STONEWALL MEANS FIGHT BACK! SMASH LESBIAN & GAY OPPRESSION.” 

A 1990 press release announcing that black leaders had met to “discuss lesbian/gay issues.”

This 1990 press release announces the results of a meeting of black leaders from around the country to discuss placing lesbian and gay concerns on the agendas of major black civil rights groups. 

A pamphlet for the twentieth anniversary of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 1994.

This 1994 pamphlet shows the progress and achievement of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force over the twenty-year span since the organization was founded. The document describes how the NGLTF advocates through legislative means, coordinating national lobbying efforts and informing members of politicians’ voting records on LGBTQ issues. The third page highlights landmark achievements from 1974 to 1992.

Excerpts from a 2000 research article titled “Changing Social Attitudes in the United States: Increasing Acceptance of Homosexuals.”

This article notes how, in spite of the gay liberation movement and the “new gay culture” that emerged after Stonewall, homophobia “stands as the last acceptable prejudice.” The study that the article describes surveyed “anti-gay” attitudes in the US population to determine if “the majority of Americans still possess anti-homosexual attitudes.” The article is dense and complex. Focus on the introductory and discussion sections to help you explore the study’s findings and what those findings mean.

A 2011 article about the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York State.

In 2011, after days of contentious negotiations and last-minute reversals by two Republican senators, New York became the sixth and largest state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage, breathing life into a national gay rights movement that had stalled over a nearly identical and failed bill two years before. This article demonstrates the impact of the change through a description of two men who became engaged at Stonewall Inn the evening the law went into effect.

A 2014 article about the National Park Service’s decision to commemorate significant sites from LGBT history.

In 2014, at Stonewall Inn in New York City, State Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced that the National Park Service would start marking places of significance to the history of lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual Americans. The Park Service convened a panel of scholars who identified sites important to LGBT history. The sites were then evaluated for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, designation as national historic landmarks, or consideration as national monuments. The effort, part of the National Park Service’s “Telling All Americans’ Stories,” culminated in 2016 with the LGBTQ Heritage Initiative, which included sixty-two landmarks and seven parks, the Stonewall National Monument among them. More information can be found at the NPS website under [LGBTQ Heritage](https://www.nps.gov/subjects/tellingallamericansstories/lgbtqheritage.htm).


Questions

1. Discuss how social attitudes in the US towards gay people in 2000, as described in the [research article](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/stonewall-and-its-impact-on-the-gay-liberation-movement/sources/1419), differ from social attitudes today, nearly two decades later. Can it be argued that Americans have become more accepting? Why or why not?
2. Compare and contrast the ways gay people are described and discussed in the [radio interview](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/stonewall-and-its-impact-on-the-gay-liberation-movement/sources/1413), the [debate about California Proposition 6](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/stonewall-and-its-impact-on-the-gay-liberation-movement/sources/1414), and the [letter from Don Baker to Lori Palmer](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/stonewall-and-its-impact-on-the-gay-liberation-movement/sources/1415). What changes do you notice in the ways members of the gay rights movement present its message? What perspectives, if any, do these resources share? Do these resources show a growth in understanding of the gay rights movement by the general public? Why or why not?
3. Closely examine the [Stonewall button](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/stonewall-and-its-impact-on-the-gay-liberation-movement/sources/1416) and note the designer’s choices regarding colors and symbols. What messages do these elements convey? How are these elements used and combined to symbolize the Stonewall Inn riots? 
4. Read carefully the [press release](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/stonewall-and-its-impact-on-the-gay-liberation-movement/sources/1417) about black leaders meeting to discuss lesbian/gay concerns. What, if any, issues and struggles does this press release show are shared by the gay rights movement and the civil rights movement? Do you see areas of potential conflict? Why might civil rights activists be concerned with a perceived “co-opting” of language from the civil rights movement by gay rights activists? Do you believe their concerns are valid? Why or why not?
5. Review the [pamphlet](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/stonewall-and-its-impact-on-the-gay-liberation-movement/sources/1418) for the twentieth anniversary of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Where can you identify the influence of the Stonewall riots (and subsequent activism) in the accomplishments noted? Also review the [article about the National Park Service’s commemoration of sites](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/stonewall-and-its-impact-on-the-gay-liberation-movement/sources/1421) important to LGBT history and the [article about New York State’s legalization of same-sex marriage](https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/stonewall-and-its-impact-on-the-gay-liberation-movement/sources/1420). What can advocates and leaders of today learn from the efforts of organizations that blossomed in response to the Stonewall riots?

Activity

1. Ask students to conduct research about persecution of gay people by the US military during the era of McCarthyism (1950s). Ask each student to collect three-five important primary sources from this time on this issue. These might include political cartoons, news articles, images, and recordings. In small groups, students should work together to share resources. Ask students to use their sources and research to consider attitudes about military persecution of gay people among the general public in the US in the 1950s. Students should then compare reaction among the general public in 2017 to federal policy changes regarding transgender military service members. How do changing attitudes towards LGBTQ people in the military reflect the legacy of gay rights movements in the 1960s and after? Working in groups, students can use the information they have collected to develop a timeline of LGBTQ military policy in the United States.
2. Have students select one landmark event discussed in this set, research it further, and develop a prototype for a national landmark celebrating or marking the event. Use the National Park Service website for inspiration and guidance.

Teaching Guide: Exploring Stonewall and the Gay Liberation Movement

Resources

1. Garance Franke-Ruta, “[An Amazing 1969 Account of the Stonewall Uprising](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/01/an-amazing-1969-account-of-the-stonewall-uprising/272467/),” *The Atlantic*. 
2. “[Joyce DiDonato Takes a Stand at Stonewall](http://www.classicalmpr.org/story/2016/06/14/joyce-didonato-takes-a-stand-at-stonewall),” Minnesota Public Radio. 
3. Wesley Chenault, “[Atlanta Since Stonewall, 1969-2009](http://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/atlanta-since-stonewall),” Outhistory.org. 
4. [LGBTQ Heritage](https://www.nps.gov/subjects/tellingallamericansstories/lgbtqheritage.htm), National Park Service. 

Overview

In the summer of 1969, as part of Mayor John Lindsey’s crackdown on gay bars, New York City police detectives conducted a routine raid on Stonewall Inn. The violent response of Stonewall Inn’s patrons, as well as subsequent riots and protests, marked a shift in LGBT activism that rippled through the decades following and impacted the gay rights and gay liberation movements in the United States.
 
The raid happened on Saturday, June 28, 1969, in the early morning hours. Faced with arrest, patrons fought back. Following media coverage of the event in the mainstream press and gay news outlets, thousands protested and clashed with riot police over the next six days. The aftermath of the Stonewall riots saw an explosion in gay movement organization, pride, and political activism.
 
The gay liberation movement of the 1970s was part of that explosion. It built on the foundation laid in the 1950s and 1960s by gay organizations such as the Mattachine Society, Janus Society, and the Daughters of Bilitis, and it took advantage of the existing political networks of Black Power, New Left, anti-war, women’s liberation, and youth counterculture. Activists within the gay liberation movement established several national organizations still in existence today, including the Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (now the National LGBTQ Task Force), the Log Cabin Republicans, and Lambda Legal.
 
This set uses primary sources to explore the events preceding and surrounding the Stonewall Inn riots as well as the aftermath of the riots in the gay liberation movement of the 1970s and 1980s. These sources demonstrate the continuing influence of Stonewall on America’s LGBTQ community, the civil rights movement, and American politics in general. 

English

Stonewall and Its Impact on the Gay Liberation Movement

stonewall_10_d806011815801aae4c25c918279b2c5a.jpg

Courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society via Minnesota Digital Library.

Fischer, Roger A., “Stonewall GLBT button,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/2cb85485461ab86890b880f51be7b915.

A Stonewall GLBT button.

Cite this item

Tips for Students

Item 10 of 15 in the Primary Source Set Stonewall and Its Impact on the Gay Liberation Movement