Stonewall Uprising on PBS
In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, an oppressed minority decided they'd taken all the shit they were going to and rose up against their persecutors. The scene of this uprising was the Stonewall Inn, a Mafia-owned bar in Greenwich Village in New York that catered to a primarily gay clientele.
The spark that ignited this was a police raid on the Stonewall Inn. The end result was 3 days of sometimes violent demonstrations against police persecution by patrons and neighborhood folk. In the words of one anonymous participant, "Tuesday night was the last night for bullshit... Predominantly, the theme (w)as, 'this shit has got to stop!'"
The Stonewall Riots are often identified as the beginning of the gay rights movement in America.
PBS recently aired an excellent documentary about this watershed event called Stonewall Uprising which can be viewed online (at the present) on the PBS website.
It should not be missed.
Watching it places current struggles for gay/lesbian/transgender rights in a whole new context. It is also a reminder of the real reason right-wing Republicans want to cut off funding to PBS.
The spark that ignited this was a police raid on the Stonewall Inn. The end result was 3 days of sometimes violent demonstrations against police persecution by patrons and neighborhood folk. In the words of one anonymous participant, "Tuesday night was the last night for bullshit... Predominantly, the theme (w)as, 'this shit has got to stop!'"
The Stonewall Riots are often identified as the beginning of the gay rights movement in America.
PBS recently aired an excellent documentary about this watershed event called Stonewall Uprising which can be viewed online (at the present) on the PBS website.
It should not be missed.
Watching it places current struggles for gay/lesbian/transgender rights in a whole new context. It is also a reminder of the real reason right-wing Republicans want to cut off funding to PBS.
Watch the full episode. See more American Experience.
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