Diana Davies Photographs, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations Frank Kameny Martin Boyce:That was our only block. Jerry Hoose:And we were going fast. Colonial House This time they said, "We're not going." John O'Brien:Our goal was to hurt those police. It won the Best Film Award at the Houston International Film Festival, Best Documentary Feature at Filmex, First Place at the National Educational Film Festival, and Honorable Mention at the Global Village Documentary Festival. Fred Sargeant:Someone at this point had apparently gone down to the cigar stand on the corner and got lighter fluid. He pulls all his men inside. Even non-gay people. When we got dressed for that night, we had cocktails and we put the makeup on. Narrator (Archival):This is one of the county's principal weekend gathering places for homosexuals, both male and female. I mean I'm talking like sardines. Absolutely, and many people who were not lucky, felt the cops. Before Stonewall (1984) - full transcript New York City's Stonewall Inn is regarded by many as the site of gay and lesbian liberation since it was at this bar that drag queens fought back against police June 27-28, 1969. Get the latest on new films and digital content, learn about events in your area, and get your weekly fix of American history. But I'm wearing this police thing I'm thinking well if they break through I better take it off really quickly but they're gunna come this way and we're going to be backing up and -- who knows what'll happen. And then as you turned into the other room with the jukebox, those were the drag queens around the jukebox. Pamela Gaudiano All kinds of designers, boxers, big museum people. But I was just curious, I didn't want to participate because number one it was so packed. Lucian Truscott, IV, Reporter,The Village Voice:The mob raised its hand and said "Oh, we'll volunteer," you know, "We'll set up some gay bars and serve over-priced, watered-down drinks to you guys." Yvonne Ritter:I did try to get out of the bar and I thought that there might be a way out through one of the bathrooms. Well, it was a nightmare for the lesbian or gay man who was arrested and caught up in this juggernaut, but it was also a nightmare for the lesbians or gay men who lived in the closet. The cops were barricaded inside. We didn't necessarily know where we were going yet, you know, what organizations we were going to be or how things would go, but we became something I, as a person, could all of a sudden grab onto, that I couldn't grab onto when I'd go to a subway T-room as a kid, or a 42nd street movie theater, you know, or being picked up by some dirty old man. Doric Wilson My last name being Garvin, I'd be called Danny Gay-vin. Prisoner (Archival):I realize that, but the thing is that for life I'll be wrecked by this record, see? Eric Marcus, Writer:It was incredibly hot. Because one out of three of you will turn queer. Tommy Lanigan-Schmidt And the police were showing up. I guess they're deviates. We did use humor to cover pain, frustration, anger. Gay bars were to gay people what churches were to blacks in the South. Where did you buy it? You needed a license even to be a beautician and that could be either denied or taken away from you. You know, Howard's concern was and my concern was that if all hell broke loose, they'd just start busting heads. I have pondered this as "Before Stonewall," my first feature documentary, is back in cinemas after 35 years. Fred Sargeant:The tactical patrol force on the second night came in even larger numbers, and were much more brutal. Martin Boyce:Mind you socks didn't count, so it was underwear, and undershirt, now the next thing was going to ruin the outfit. 'Cause I really realized that I was being trained as a straight person, so I could really fool these people. Tires were slashed on police cars and it just went on all night long. Saying I don't want to be this way, this is not the life I want. Just making their lives miserable for once. Directors Greta Schiller Robert Rosenberg (co-director) Stars Rita Mae Brown Maua Adele Ajanaku I would get in the back of the car and they would say, "We're going to go see faggots." Lucian Truscott, IV, Reporter,The Village Voice:What they did in the Stonewall that night. And they were lucky that door was closed, they were very lucky. Tweet at us @throughlineNPR, send us an email, or leave us a voicemail at (872) 588-8805. Sign up for the American Experience newsletter! American Airlines Liz Davis Oh, tell me about your anxiety. I had never seen anything like that. And in a sense the Stonewall riots said, "Get off our backs, deliver on the promise." New York City's Stonewall Inn is regarded by many as the site of gay and lesbian liberation since it was at this bar that drag queens fought back against police June 27-28, 1969. You throw into that, that the Stonewall was raided the previous Tuesday night. At least if you had press, maybe your head wouldn't get busted. The Mafia owned the jukeboxes, they owned the cigarette machines and most of the liquor was off a truck hijacking. Raymond Castro:You could hear screaming outside, a lot of noise from the protesters and it was a good sound. This 1955 educational film warns of homosexuality, calling it "a sickness of the mind.". We ought to know, we've arrested all of them. And the harder she fought, the more the cops were beating her up and the madder the crowd got. If there had been a riot of that proportion in Harlem, my God, you know, there'd have been cameras everywhere. John O'Brien:And then somebody started a fire, they started with little lighters and matches. A medievalist. And so Howard said, "We've got police press passes upstairs." Suzanne Poli Martha Shelley:Before Stonewall, the homophile movement was essentially the Mattachine Society and Daughters of Bilitis and all of these other little gay organizations, some of which were just two people and a mimeograph machine. and I didn't see anything but a forest of hands. It was narrated by author Rita Mae Brown, directed by Greta Schiller, co-directed by Robert Rosenberg, and co-produced by John Scagliotti and Rosenberg, and Schiller. ", Martin Boyce:People in the neighborhood, the most unlikely people were starting to support it. That summer, New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in Greenwich Village. I went in there and they took bats and just busted that place up. It's the first time I'm fully inside the Stonewall. Narrator (Archival):Do you want your son enticed into the world of homosexuals, or your daughter lured into lesbianism? Getty Images And I found them in the movie theatres, sitting there, next to them. Homosexuality was a dishonorable discharge in those days, and you couldn't get a job afterwards. Leroy S. Mobley Dick Leitsch:Very often, they would put the cops in dresses, with makeup and they usually weren't very convincing. Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community is a 1984 American documentary film about the LGBT community prior to the 1969 Stonewall riots. Lester Senior Housing Community, Jewish Community Housing Corporation Martin Boyce:There were these two black, like, banjee guys, and they were saying, "What's goin' on man?" Marjorie Duffield Activists had been working for change long before Stonewall. Paul Bosche Gay people were told we didn't have any of that. It was first released in 1984 with its American premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and its European premiere at the Berlinale, followed by a successful theatrical release in many countries and a national broadcast on PBS. Queer was very big. From left: "Before Stonewall" director Greta Schiller, executive producer John Scagliotti and co-director Robert Rosenberg in 1985. Susan Liberti And we had no right to such. Tommy Lanigan-Schmidt:Those of us that were the street kids we didn't think much about the past or the future. Andrea Weiss is a documentary filmmaker and author with a Ph.D. in American History. The Stonewall had reopened. Stonewall Forever Explore the monument Watch the documentary Download the AR app About & FAQ Privacy Policy Virginia Apuzzo:It was free but not quite free enough for us. Howard Smith, Reporter,The Village Voice:So at that point the police are extremely nervous. Participants of the 1969 Greenwich Village uprising describe the effect that Stonewall had on their lives. Martha Shelley:They wanted to fit into American society the way it was. The first police officer that came in with our group said, "The place is under arrest. We were scared. Brief Summary Of The Documentary 'Before Stonewall' | Bartleby They were to us. But you live with it, you know, you're used to this, after the third time it happened, or, the third time you heard about it, that's the way the world is. Narrator (Archival):This is a nation of laws. Danny Garvin:People were screaming "pig," "copper." I wanted to kill those cops for the anger I had in me. Many of those activists have since died, but Marcus preserved their voices for his book, titled Making Gay History. This, to a homosexual, is no choice at all. David Carter Martha Shelley:The riot could have been buried, it could have been a few days in the local newspaper and that was that. John O'Brien:We had no idea we were gonna finish the march. Interviewer (Archival):What type of laws are you after? It was one of the things you did in New York, it was like the Barnum and Bailey aspect of it. Scott McPartland/Getty Images So it was a perfect storm for the police. It was a down at a heels kind of place, it was a lot of street kids and things like that. And this went on for hours. Jerry Hoose:I mean the riot squad was used to riots. And the people coming out weren't going along with it so easily. John van Hoesen The mayor of New York City, the police commissioner, were under pressure to clean up the streets of any kind of quote unquote "weirdness." Doric Wilson:That's what happened Stonewall night to a lot of people. Few photographs of the raid and the riots that followed exist. First Run Features And the rest of your life will be a living hell. Former U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with gay rights activist Frank Kameny after signing a memorandum on federal benefits and non-discrimination in the Oval Office on June 17, 2009. Ed Koch, Councilman, New York City:The Stonewall, they didn't have a liquor license and they were raided by the cops regularly and there were pay-offs to the cops, it was awful. Ellinor Mitchell I am not alone, there are other people that feel exactly the same way.". Seymour Pine, Deputy Inspector, Morals Division, NYPD:The moment you stepped out that door there would be hundreds facing you. Because that's what they were looking for, any excuse to try to bust the place. ABCNEWS VideoSource Danny Garvin:Bam, bam and bash and then an opening and then whoa. Hugh Bush And Howard said, "Boy there's like a riot gonna happen here," and I said, "yeah." Well, little did he know that what was gonna to happen later on was to make history. Gay people were never supposed to be threats to police officers. A New York Police officer grabs a man by the hair as another officer clubs a. If that didn't work, they would do things like aversive conditioning, you know, show you pornography and then give you an electric shock. Barney Karpfinger I mean does anyone know what that is? archives.nypl.org -- Before Stonewall production files They were supposed to be weak men, limp-wristed. They call them hotels, motels, lovers' lanes, drive-in movie theaters, etc. Richard Enman (Archival):Well, let me say, first of all, what type of laws we are not after, because there has been much to-do that the Society was in favor of the legalization of marriage between homosexuals, and the adoption of children, and such as that, and that is not at all factual at all. Seymour Pine, Deputy Inspector, Morals Division, NYPD:We had maybe six people and by this time there were several thousand outside. Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives The award-winning documentary film, Before Stonewall, which was released theatrically and broadcast on PBS television in 1984, explored the history of the lesbian and gay rights movement in the United States prior to 1969. I first engaged in such acts when I was 14 years old. Ed Koch, mayorof New York City from1978 to 1989, discussesgay civil rights in New York in the 1960s. Judy Laster And, you know,The Village Voiceat that point started using the word "gay.". Lucian Truscott, IV, Reporter,The Village Voice:It was a bottle club which meant that I guess you went to the door and you bought a membership or something for a buck and then you went in and then you could buy drinks. And so we had to create these spaces, mostly in the trucks. His movements are not characteristic of a real boy. The overwhelming number of medical authorities said that homosexuality was a mental defect, maybe even a form of psychopathy. John O'Brien:In the Civil Rights Movement, we ran from the police, in the peace movement, we ran from the police. Revealing and. Detective John Sorenson, Dade County Morals & Juvenile Squad (Archival):There may be some in this auditorium. Windows started to break. Gay people were not powerful enough politically to prevent the clampdown and so you had a series of escalating skirmishes in 1969. There may be some girls here who will turn lesbian. Fred Sargeant:Three articles of clothing had to be of your gender or you would be in violation of that law. Mary Queen of the Scotch, Congo Woman, Captain Faggot, Miss Twiggy. This Restored Documentary Examines What LGBTQ Lives Were Like Before I was a homosexual. Dick Leitsch:Mattachino in Italy were court jesters; the only people in the whole kingdom who could speak truth to the king because they did it with a smile. Director . Transcript Enlarge this image To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City, activists rode their motorcycles during the city's 1989 gay-pride parade. Dr. Socarides (Archival):I think the whole idea of saying "the happy homosexual" is to, uh, to create a mythology about the nature of homosexuality. The film combined personal interviews, snapshots and home movies, together with historical footage. Obama signed the memorandum to extend benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. Before Stonewall 1984 Directed by Greta Schiller, Robert Rosenberg Synopsis New York City's Stonewall Inn is regarded by many as the site of gay and lesbian liberation since it was at this bar that drag queens fought back against police June 27-28, 1969. John O'Brien:I was with a group that we actually took a parking meter out of theground, three or four people, and we used it as a battering ram. Because if you don't have extremes, you don't get any moderation. Richard Enman (Archival):Present laws give the adult homosexual only the choice of being, to simplify the matter, heterosexual and legal or homosexual and illegal. Narrator (Archival):Richard Enman, president of the Mattachine Society of Florida, whose goal is to legalize homosexuality between consenting adults, was a reluctant participant in tonight's program. NBC News Archives TV Host (Archival):And Sonia is that your own hair? I was never seduced by an older person or anything like that. Review: 'Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community' It was a real good sound to know that, you know, you had a lot of people out there pulling for you. Don't fire until I fire. The history of the Gay and Lesbian community before the Stonewall riots began the major gay rights movement. Doric Wilson:There was joy because the cops weren't winning. Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community is a 1984 American documentary film about the LGBT community prior to the 1969 Stonewall riots. There are a lot of kids here. Stonewall Forever is a documentary from NYC's LGBT Community Center directed by Ro Haber. Raymond Castro:If that light goes on, you know to stop whatever you're doing, and separate. National History Archive, LGBT Community Center Lucian Truscott, IV, Reporter,The Village Voice:Saturday night there it was. New York City's Stonewall Inn is regarded by many as the site of gay and lesbian liberation since it was at this bar that drag queens fought back against police June 27-28, 1969. Charles Harris, Transcriptions They would bang on the trucks. And they wore dark police uniforms and riot helmets and they had billy clubs and they had big plastic shields, like Roman army, and they actually formed a phalanx, and just marched down Christopher Street and kind of pushed us in front of them. The medical experimentation in Atascadero included administering, to gay people, a drug that simulated the experience of drowning; in other words, a pharmacological example of waterboarding. Ed Koch, Councilman, New York City:There were complaints from people who objected to the wrongful behavior of some gays who would have sex on the street. My father said, "About time you fags rioted.". You cut one head off. Amber Hall Dick Leitsch:New York State Liquor Authority had a rule that one known homosexual at a licensed premise made the place disorderly, so nobody would set up a place where we could meet because they were afraid that the cops would come in to close it, and that's how the Mafia got into the gay bar business. Stonewall Uprising | American Experience | PBS The homosexual, bitterly aware of his rejection, responds by going underground. WPA Film Library, Thanks to One never knows when the homosexual is about. We knew it was a gay bar, we walked past it. Finally, Mayor Lindsay listened to us and he announced that there would be no more police entrapment in New York City. We were winning. John O'Brien:The election was in November of 1969 and this was the summer of 1969, this was June. They are taught that no man is born homosexual and many psychiatrists now believe that homosexuality begins to form in the first three years of life.
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