Stonewall Uprising

Gr 9 Up—"In 1969, homosexual acts were illegal in every state except Illinois." With that statement, this film, based on David Carter's Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution (St. Martin's Press, 2004), sets the stage for a drama that culminates with the birth of the modern Gay Pride movement. Forty years ago, the idea of being "out and proud" was inconceivable to the men and women—some of them teenagers themselves in the late 1960s—who share their recollections in interviews. Homosexuality was classified as a mental illness. Laws against "lewd conduct" and "masquerading" were used to persecute those who dared to gather at the Mafia-run "gay bars." Despite this, GLBT people who had watched or participated in civil rights campaigns began forming their own "homophile movement" and connecting through groups like the Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis. After months of escalating crack-downs and arrests, when six police officers were sent to raid the Stonewall Inn in New York City's Greenwich Village in June 1969, they found themselves outnumbered. Instead of meekly submitting, the bar's patrons fought back, and they were quickly joined by a crowd of thousands outside. The riots were followed by what would become known as the first Gay Pride parade. Directors Kate Davis and David Heilbroner interweave archival footage from news coverage and educational films produced in the 1950s and 1960s with contemporary interviews of actual participants. Former Mayor Ed Koch, author Eric Marcus, and law professor William Eskridge provide historical information to set the events in context. The primary source materials, interviewee biographies, teacher's guide, and more supporting resources are available online. Highly recommended for school and public libraries.—Beth Gallego, Los Angeles Public Library, CA