Before Stonewall and After Stonewall
Since a few years ago, the LGBTQ community has been in the limelight worldwide. This is due to the politics and issues surrounding the identities of the individuals in the community—the films Before Stonewall and After Stonewall document the community’s life before and after liberation rights. The fight for the community’s liberty can be traced to a gay bar, the Stonewall Inn in New York. The gay community would gather here to have fun and have a sense of belonging since the LGBTQ community was despised and had to remain hidden. The raid on the Stonewall by the police led to the gay people’s social unrest, which demanded justice and liberty rights to live their lives. Although the LGBTQ community may not be accepted in a few countries, it has gained recognition all across the world and more acceptance into the social gathering of straight people. Therefore, Stonewall is a significant development in liberating the gay community and promoting their acceptance in society.
One of the things that made Stonewall possible is the climate surrounding the riots. Police raids at the bar were expected due to the cases of rebellion around the culture. The gay community thought it was time to fight for acceptance within the society since they had been alienated for an extended period (Reedel, 2020). Due to the presence of conflicts between the society and the gay community, the Stonewall riots happened to send a signal to the world that the gay community was powerful enough to obtain and undertake their interest in the society like ordinary people.
Moreover, the fact that gay people made the Stonewall Inn their home and center of operations led to the raids and riots. Many bars in the US would refuse to serve LGBTQ community people since they were considered nonhumans. This is because New York had laws that prevented the serving of gay customers in terms of food or drinks. People would therefore pretend to be straight to get services like other customers. The Stonewall bar was home to gay people since they were treated as equals, and in fact, most customers were gay. Here, gay people would let loose and feel comfortable (Mumford, 2019). Outside the bar’s walls, gay people were mistreated and seen as a curse and abomination to society. Besides, gay people lived I fear of losing their jobs and other services due to their identity. If an individual were suspected of being gay, they would receive harsh treatment and shrew judgment from society. In other parts of the world, like Germany, these individuals were imprisoned for exhibiting their behaviors. Around 1925, the gay community had started fighting for their rights, leading to the riots and police raid. The policy aimed to disband the groups formed to support the welfare of the gay community. The Stonewall thus became possible due to the presence of the gay community within the bar’s environment.
Similarly, Stonewall paved the way for the liberation rights of the gay community. From the film, the gay community is enormous and has been accepted into US society. In the contemporary world, it is common to find individuals who identify with the gay community since they have been incorporated into society. During the US’s categorization, people often identify themselves as either male, female, or gay. This has extended into providing services such as washrooms where they have their privacy without judgment (Reedel, 2020). Although the US has entirely accepted and allowed the LGBTQ community’s existence, many other countries in Africa still have wrong perceptions of gay people. This way,they lack the freedom to express themselves. The Stonewall riots enabled the gay community to be considered part of the society that will be in existence for a very long time; hence they should receive equal treatment as other people.
Additionally, the Stonewall accomplished a mission of making gay people visible to mainstream America. At the time of the riots, gay people were prohibited from working for the federal government and other licensed professions. Coming out of the closet would deny many individuals a chance in the military, the federal government, and law professions. Due to this, many of these individuals hid their personhood to avoid issues with the federal government (Mumford, 2019). Besides, there were dressing laws governing New York City that required people to prevent crimes against nature, including gay behavior. Stonewall was the only place that gay people were accepted and served without prejudice. One of the reasons that the bar was under less scrutiny by the police was that the Mafia ran operations here after being banished from other places of the city. Due to Stonewall, gay people can now participate in political operations and conduct businesses without much worry.
In conclusion, Stonewall is a significant event that created more advantages for the gay community. It became possible due to the presence of gay gatherings that had made the bar their home. The customers acquired the power to fight for their home after the police raids. Besides, the Stonewall granted visibility and liberation to the gay community, which is still noticeable in America.
References
Mumford, K. (2019). The Lessons of Stonewall Fifty Years Later. QED: A Journal in GLBTQ Worldmaking, 6(2), 85-90.
Reedel, M. (2020) Stonewall Riots, and Solidarity.