An in-depth treatment of the gay liberation movement from its early beginnings, when it was internally referred to as the homophile movement by many of the mostly conservative gay men behind it, to the transformative moment in 1969 when violence erupted at a mob-run gay bar in the West Village of NYC known as The Stonewall Inn, bringing on a "generational, organizational and ideological shift". The author profiles six individuals through the 1960s and 1970s, whose "stories were different enough to suggest the diversity of gay and lesbian lives, yet interconnected enough to...suggest some of the ...values, perceptions and concerns that centrally characterized the Stonewall generation." This is an important work, obviously painstakingly researched, but I confess I found it slightly weedy reading in parts because of the scrupulous detail included about the multitude of gay rights organizations and publications that came and went, the lack of leadership and the counterproductive in-fighting that made a cohesive national movement so difficult to create for so long. Even after the Stonewall riots seemingly gave moderates and radicals a common goal, consensus as to "message" was as difficult to attain for the LGBTQ "community" as it has proven to be for many other marginalized groups throughout history. The personal stories of the troubled teenager, the African-American jazz club junkie, the buttoned-down wealthy celibate, the Barnard graduate feminist, the transvestite hustler, and the Yippie Vietnam war protestor kept me reading (although I did skim from time to time). Originally published in 1992, my 2019 edition contained a new introduction by the author as well as an epilogue with updates on the lives of his subjects, 4 of whom have died since the book first appeared. ( )

Good stuff. Sylvia Rivera's bits especially interesting. Funny how the trans lib movement has reclaimed the Stonewall riots as an action mostly by gender deviants and outlaws to the extent that some actually make Sylvia out to be a trans woman. I'm not sure if her identification changed over time, but at least when she was interviewed for this book she talks about taking a stab at hormones and deciding to go off them because she was more of a genderfuck (my words) than a woman.

Got it from the used book store; definitely worthwhile, although I don't know why it took me so long to finish the last chapter! ( )

history, activism, gay rights, STAR, transgender, gay, lesbian

An excellent history surrounding the movement, centering the people we don't customarily celebrate, but who perhaps had the most driving & organizing power. It is a familiar tale in many respects, but doesn't get too wrapped up in any one story and weaves together all the events in a wonderful way and gives excellent background and context to all. ( )

A really well-researched and interesting portrayal of the gay rights movement in the United States. A great read for anyone interested in social movements of the 1960s. ( )

If there's any one thing that has the potential to evoke instant violence from individuals, it's the idea of homosexuality. Today, nothing seems to polarize so many people. Anyone growing up has heard "fag" as a basic insult in the grammer of teenagers and beyond, and I really suspect there's a lot of people who are in the closet in some way that know that if they came out at all of even being remotely attracted to members of the same sex (however you want to define that), then they would become an instant target for former friends and family. It's even worse in the countryside than in the cities, too. So I picked up Stonewall to brush up on some Queer history, especially since the Stonewall Riots of 1969 in New York are often cited as being a turning point in the acceptance of anything but straight as an arrow by mainstream society at all.

Stonewall details the lives of seven different individuals from their childhoods, to the day they came out of the closet, to their lives afterward and up until the stonewall riots, and the aftermath. The six people are Yvonne (Maua) Flowers, Jim Fouratt, Foster Gunnison Jr, Karla Jay, Silvia Rae Rivera, and Craig Rodwell. Some like Jim Fouratt were previously involved in radical left-wing groups like the Yippies before Stonewall brought gay issues as an issue to be seriously considered. Yvonne Flowers felt out of place wherever she went, being a black lesbian and therefore subject to homophobia and sexism in much of the black community and racism in much of the white lesbian community. Foster Gunnison Jr was the son of an industrialist, and became extremely involved in the moderate Mattachine Society, which sought to seek an understanding with straight society. Karla Jay was a student who became involved with left-wing activism but quickly was uncomfortable about male domination of the movement. Silva Rae Rivera defiantly strikes the reader as one of the most interesting, as she lives on the streets as a queen, and transvestite. Finally, Craig Rodwell was a young member of the Mattachine Society and tried to turn it more radical and relevant by recruiting young members into it to infuse it with energy, and later opened the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookstore.

Without going to far, the Stonewall Riots started when the police raided the notoriously seedy, and Mafia-run, Stonewall Bar. Raids were common place and often were proceeded with warnings, bribes, and such, but this time after the police roughed up a few people, the crowd fought back. It escalated into a full scale attack on the police and lots of pent up rage was unleashed. The next day, as news of gays fighting back spread quickly, people took to the street and made a statement that they would no longer be silent second-class citizens. After this, the Gay Liberation Front was founded to push for confrontation and demand, not request, full equality with straight society. The effects on the characters reminded me of the effect that the Seattle protests against the World Trade Organization had on me when I was a teenager. It all the sudden became alright to be out in the open.

The book itself can be a little confusing at points as Dr. Duberman switches between the individuals stories quickly and suddenly, but each story is indeed pretty interesting. Even today as there seems to be an enormous backlack by the Christian Right to attack the rights of people to be attracted to anyone, or to BE anyone, that they feel like, and to have access to all of the same health, jobs, and life that any straight person would, it really was the beginning of hope back in an age of closets and not being able to even talk. This was a beginning of change, before even the onslaught of the AIDS epidemic. Stonewall should be read by anyone who believes in the right of anyone to struggle for a better life for themselves and those they care about.