63. The Stonewall Riots

Snarky Opener (0:00)

Believe it or not, there is more to Pride than rainbows and glitter.

Episode Introduction (0:24)

Hello, my LGBTQuties, and welcome back to another episode of A Jaded Gay.

I'm Rob Loveless and, today, I am a non-jaded gay because I sobbed earlier this week, and it was much needed. I mean, don't get me wrong, they were not happy tears.

I was very upset, and yeah, it didn't feel great crying in the moment, but afterwards, I realized just how much I was holding in. And it was nice to just get that emotional release and cry it all out.

I also slept like a baby that night, so I was exhausted. So, I mean, might be kind of weird to be a non-jaded gay because of that, but I'm feeling okay now.

Like Ariana Grande said, no tears left to cry. For now. Give me another week. I'm sure I'll be crying again.

Anyway, on with the episode.

The Stonewall Riots (1:03)

So, as you know, June is Pride Month. We're now at the end of the month, so I'm sure you've been seeing all the Pride celebrations going on across the country.

Probably seen all the brands release their rainbow merchandise, which I'm sure will be gone promptly on July 1 because, you know, it's become just a big corporate marketing vehicle.

And you know, when I was younger, I knew that June equaled Pride. I saw the rainbow merchandise, all the advertisements, but I didn't really know why the month was dedicated to gay pride.

And I mean, many of us didn't learn about LGBTQ+ plus history in school, and when I paid a little more attention, I learned that Pride commemorates the Stonewall Riots that took place in June 1969.

But I also realized not as many people, even within the gay community know that much about the Stonewall Riots and that there's still some misconceptions.

So, today's episode is going to be a little history lesson. But first, tarot time.

Tarot (1:55) 

So, the card for this episode is the Seven of Pentacles, and as you know, Pentacles is in the Minor Arcana. So, it's really kind of asking us to think about our day-to-day and make some adjustments that way.

Pentacles itself is tied to the element of earth. So, it's very grounding. It's feminine energy, so it's very nurturing, and asking us to reflect.

And Pentacles is all about putting in the hard work, planting the seeds of prosperity, and reaping the rewards of our labors.

Typically, Pentacles is tied to financial prosperity, but I like to think of it more so as emotional prosperity.

And in numerology, the number seven is tied to planning, contemplation, and preparing to take inspired action. So, when we draw this card, we're receiving a sign that we're close to our goal.

But we need to remember, life is a journey, so once we achieve this goal, we haven't arrived at our final destination.

So, let's be mindful of the progress we've made and how we can better enjoy the work we're doing, but also recognize that there is still more work ahead for us. And that's not meant to be a scary thing.

You know, with the continued work we put in, the greater the rewards we can reap. And again, this doesn't mean literal rewards like money or fame, but emotional prosperity. You know, happiness, love, gratitude.

So, let's value and celebrate the energy we're putting into the work we're doing today because we are investing in ourselves and setting ourselves up for long-term success and happiness.

And with that in mind, let's get into the Stonewall Riots.

A Brief History of Gay Establishments (3:14)

So, to kick off, let's take a walk down memory lane. Back in August of 2022, we talked about how the mafia owned gay nightlife in the 1960s.

And at the time, it was legal to be gay in New York City, and as a result, it was illegal for bars to serve gay men.

And for gay bars, they were frequently raided, and when they were, those arrested would have their names published in the paper.

And because of that, they could lose everything: their family, friends, job. It was all over.

And oftentimes, men who were outed in a raid would move away and have to start over somewhere else because they were essentially pariahs in their neighborhoods.

Now to get around these laws, some formed private bottle clubs, and these clubs were considered organizations instead of bars.

They required membership, and many gay men would use fake names and aliases. They didn't require liquor licenses, so they were less susceptible to police interference.

And as a result, owners were able to overlook health and safety concerns.

Now this is where the mafia comes in. They saw a strategic business opportunity to buy cheap properties, convert them into gay bars, and operate them as private bottle clubs in order to avoid State liquor laws.

And these seedy clubs also provided them a dedicated place to conduct their business.

So, I'm going to play a clip from that episode, just to give a little background on that. And if you haven't already, check out this episode, I've included the link to it in the show notes.

So here we go.

A Brief History of Mafia-Owned Gay Bars (4:33)

Now, this brings us to the Genovese family. They were an Italian American Mafia crime family and one of the five families that dominated organized crime in New York City and New Jersey.

By the mid-1960s, the Genovese family controlled the majority of gay bars in Greenwich Village, which was emerging as a gay hub at the time.

Now, they weren't setting up these gay bars out of the goodness of their hearts. There were a couple reasons for doing this.

One, they were making money by running gay bars on the underground. And two, these establishments usually served as fronts where they could conduct illegal activities such as extortion, gambling, and drug dealing.

And we will get to the extortion.

So now let's take a quick pause on the mob dealings and turn our attention toward a restaurant called Bonnie's Stonewall.

It originally was a horse stable, so ew. Let's hope that they cleaned it thoroughly before it became a food and beverage establishment.

And it was later renovated and turned into a speakeasy and then a legitimate cocktail bar before becoming the restaurant.

But in 1964, Bonnie's Stonewall was destroyed in a fire. And this is where the Mafia comes in. In 1966, a young Genovese family member named Tony Lauria, aka Fat Tony, so I'm assuming he was quite thin.

He purchased the property for next to nothing. He did a cheap renovation, and bada bing bada boom, the Stonewall Inn opened as a gay bar.

And just for reference, because gay bars were being run on the down low, they were sleazy dumps, and Stonewall was no different. In fact, let's just go through some of these details here.

Bartenders at Stonewall did not have access to running water behind the bar, so they often served drinks in dirty, used glasses. I mean, I guess the alcohol kills the germs, but still, that's disgusting.

Also, the alcohol served at the bar, which was rumored to be stolen or bootlegged, was actually watered down and sold to patrons at top-shelf prices.

And lastly, Stonewall lacked a rear exit. Kinky. So, there was only a narrow front door as the only means of escape in the event of a fire or emergency.

Now, remember, this was being operated as a private bottle club. So, there was less concern surrounding police interference, which is why Fat Tony was able to get away with these health and safety concerns.

Additionally, the Genovese family was bribing police between $1,200 and $2,000 a month to turn a blind eye to Stonewall's activities.

And again, because Stonewall required a quote-unquote membership, both gay men and mobsters were required to sign in when they entered the bar.

But they often used fake names or nicknames so that gay men could avoid being outed and mobsters could avoid legal ramifications.

And even though the Genovese family was spending money bribing the police, they were still making a profit through their overpriced drinks, illegal activities, and rampant extortion going on at Stonewall.

When it came to earning a profit, there were even instances of the bar owners pimping out young gay men. And all this was known at the time, and it was known that Stonewall was a mob bar.

But despite these instances of extortion and the less-than-ideal conditions, it was still extremely popular.

And actually, I'm gonna read a quick quote from History.com:

"Despite its less-than-ideal conditions, Stonewall quickly became a popular destination in the gay community. Even something of an institution. It was the only place where gay people could openly dance close together and, for relatively little money, drag queens, who received a bitter reception at other bars, runaways, homeless LGBT youths, and others could be off the streets as long as the bar was open."

Now, these bars, or quote-unquote private bottle clubs, weren't foolproof, and they weren't immune to raids.

However, since the Mafia was paying off the police, officers would tip off the gay bar owners prior to the raid, and the owners would actually tell the police the best time to come by.

So, they'd be like, oh yeah, it's our turn this month to be raided? Cool. Can you come in at four? Because we only have two people in, and then we'll be ready for our seven o'clock rush. That way, you know, it's not affecting business hours.

The Stonewall Inn is Raided by Police (8:08)

Okay, so, hey. It's me, present day, Rob. Getting back to the episode.

Now, there is a lot of history and historical figures associated with the Stonewall Riots, but I'm just going to be giving an overview of it because I want to talk more about how this event really launched the movement for Pride, but I would definitely encourage you to read The Stonewall Riots: Coming Out in the Streets by Gayle E Pitman, which I'll reference several times in this episode.

And there's also a ton of movies and documentaries about the Stonewall Riots. So, check it out. There's a lot of good information out there.

Anyway, during the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Inn was raided by police, and patrons were pissed because the bar wasn't tipped off.

You know, since there was some corruption within the police force at that time, they were typically paid off by the mob, so police usually gave a heads-up before their raids. But this time, they didn't.

So, when police officers entered the club, they roughed patrons up, found bootleg liquor, and arrested 13 people.

Also, female officers would take suspected quote-unquote cross-dressing patrons into the bathroom to check their sex. And the patrons were fed up.

Grieving Judy Garland’s Death (9:10)

Now, as we talked about a couple weeks ago, Judy Garland died just shy a week earlier on June 22. And obviously, Judy was a huge gay icon.

Now I've seen different dates, but her funeral was held either on June 26 or June 27, and the gay community was riddled with grief because of Judy's death.

So, some believe that their grief transformed to anger when the raid on the Stonewall Inn occurred, which resulted in the patrons fighting back.

However, others feel that chalking the riots up to Judy Garland's death diminishes the anger and frustration gay people had about being harassed and persecuted.

Who Threw the First Brick? (9:43)

Regardless the LGBTQ+ community had had enough. Here's an excerpt from History.com:

“Fed up with constant police harassment and social discrimination, angry patrons and neighborhood residents hung around outside of the bar rather than disperse, becoming increasingly agitated as the events unfolded and people were aggressively manhandled. At one point, an officer hit a lesbian over the head as he forced her into the police van— she shouted to onlookers to act, inciting the crowd to begin throw pennies, bottles, cobblestones, and other objects at the police.”

Now, for a long time, it was said that Marsha P Johnson, a transgender woman of color, threw the first brick at Stonewall, and I would definitely like to do a future episode on her.

But there has been some debate as to whether or not she did because it had been rumored that she was at the Stonewall Inn that night to celebrate her birthday, but her birthday was actually August 24.

Also, there were some conflicting tales that she threw a shot glass at the police. Other accounts say she threw a brick, which raises the question, where did the brick even come from?

Meanwhile, some people have even alleged that she wasn't even there. And interestingly enough, Marsha even said herself that she didn't arrive at Stonewall until about 2 am, which was after the police had raided the bar.

Here's a quick quote from Gayle E Pitman, author of The Stonewall Riots: Coming Out in the Streets:

“Whatever her participation was beyond that, two things are possible. Her role in the uprising may have been overembellished or misremembered. It’s also possible that her participation in the Stonewall rebellion was downplayed by people in the gay community because of her volatile personality and unstable behavior.”

And I certainly don't want to downplay Marsha P Johnson and whatever role she may have played in the Stonewall Riots, but I'm pointing that out because the history of these events and this movement, it's all a little fuzzy, since the LGBTQ+ community was an especially marginalized group back then, and not a lot of attention was paid to the community.

The Tactical Patrol Force Arrives (11:34)

Now, regardless of who through what, first, violence broke out, with crowds trying to overturn police wagons and tires were slashed.

And the commotion drew more people into the crowd to see what was going on.

Someone in the crowd yelled at the raid occurred because they didn't pay off the cops, to which someone else responded, let's pay them off.

So, coins were thrown in the air as people shouted pigs and faggot cops. Garbage cans, garbage, bottles, rocks, and bricks were hurled at the building.

And apparently, the police were outnumbered by 500 to 600 people.

In fact, police barricaded themselves inside the Stonewall Inn and activists yanked out a parking meter and used it as a battering ram to break down the doors.

Eventually, the Tactical Patrol Force, or TFP, were called in.

They were an elite squad of NYPD formed in 1959 as an experimental squad to contain street crimes but were later routinely called in to handle things like anti-war protests, civil rights demonstrations, and political sit-ins.

And once the TFP arrived at the Stonewall Inn dressed in full riot gear, the mood intensified, and police tactics quickly became violent. Now that being said, I really like this next piece.

So, the NYPD lined up in a V and began to descend upon the protesters, which usually caused rioters to retreat.

However, when the police reversed their formation, they found that protesters were not dispersing. Here's a quote:

"The NYPD found themselves facing a kick line of cross-dressers, mimicking the Rockettes from Radio City Music Hall. In loud mocking voices, to the tune of the old vaudeville song “Ta ra ra Boom de ay, they began to sing. This clearly wasn’t the reaction the police typically faced and for a moment, the dumbfounded officers didn’t know what to do. It gave the protestors the upper hand, at least for a few minutes.”

And eventually, protesters stopped cars and overturned one to block Christopher Street. And by 4 am the streets had been cleared.

Craig Rodwell Alerts the Media (13:25)

Now that first night, Craig Rodwell, a gay rights activist, contacted the New York Times, The New York Post, and The New York Daily News to let them know what was going on.

And the day after the raid, The New York Times ran a story which didn't include any quotes or interviews from people who participated or witnessed the event.

Here's an excerpt from that article:

“Hundreds of young men went on a rampage in Greenwich village shortly after 3 am yesterday after a force of plainclothes men raided a bar that the police said was well known for its homosexual clientele. Thirteen persons were arrested and four policemen injured. The police estimated that 200 young men had been expelled from the bar. The crowd grew close to 400 during the melee, which lasted about 45 minutes, they said.”

Now again, that was the early morning hours of Saturday, June 28. So that day, after the crowds dispersed, people came to stare at the burned and blackened Stonewall Inn.

Graffiti appeared on the walls of the bar declaring "Drag power", "They invaded our rights", "Support gay power" and "Legalize gay bars," along with accusations of police looting and, regarding the status of the bar, "we are open."

The Riots Continue (14:28)

And that night, the rioting resumed, which was described as more frantic and violent. This time, thousands of people joined.

Those who were there the first night returned, but they were joined by police provocateurs, curious bystanders, and even tourists.

Additionally, it was reported that Marsha P Johnson was seen climbing a lamp post and dropping a heavy bag onto the hood of a police car, shattering the windshield.

Here's an excerpt:

“As on the previous evening, fires were started in garbage cans throughout the neighborhood. More than a hundred police were present from the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Ninth Precincts, but after 2:00 a.m. the TPF arrived again. Kick lines and police chases waxed and waned; when police captured demonstrators, whom the majority of witnesses described as "sissies" or "swishes", the crowd surged to recapture them. Again, street battling ensued until 4:00 a.m.”

A Call to Protest (15:16)

Now, the Monday and Tuesday following, activity was sporadic due to rain, but this gave Craig Rodwell and his partner Fred Sargent the opportunity to create leaflets calling for gay people to own their own establishments, for a boycott of the Stonewall and other mafia owned bars, and for public pressure on the mayor's office to investigate the quote-unquote intolerable situation.

One of those leaflets read, get the mafia and cops out of gay bars.

Additionally, an anonymous person wrote a pretty direct message on a boarded-up window of the Stonewall Inn saying gay prohibition corrupts cops, feeds mafia.

And the S's were spelled with dollar signs.

A Catalyst for LGBTQ+ Equality (15:52)

So, all in all, the riots and activity around Stonewall lasted until July 3, 1969.

So, six days total, Stonewall soon became a symbol of resistance to social and political discrimination that would inspire solidarity among homosexual groups for decades, including groups like the Gay Liberation Front, the Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, and PFLAG.

And although it can't be said to have initiated the gay rights movement as such, it did serve as a catalyst for a new generation of political activism.

On the one-year anniversary of the riots, on June 28, 1970, thousands of people marched in the streets of Manhattan, from the Stonewall Inn to Central Park in what was then called Christopher Street Liberation Day, America's first gay pride parade. The parade's official chant was, say it loud, gay is proud.

There were also simultaneous marches in Los Angeles and Chicago. And the year following, these marches grew and took place in the cities of Boston, Dallas, Milwaukee, London, Paris, West Berlin, and Stockholm.

And in 1972 the participating cities included Atlanta, Buffalo, Detroit, Washington DC, Miami, Minneapolis, and Philadelphia, as well as San Francisco.

And as you know, there are countless Pride parades around the United States every June commemorating the Stonewall Riots.

And the Stonewall Inn is still operating as a gay bar today. And in 2016 President Obama designated the site as a national monument in recognition of the area's contribution to gay rights.

Episode Closing (17:19)

And while many have different viewpoints on how Pride should be celebrated.

I would just encourage everyone to remember the history behind it and remember that there are still many inequalities we face as a community today.

And, you know, connecting it back to the tarot, we got the Seven of Pentacles today, which is reminding us that we're almost there to achieving what we want to achieve.

But again, the road to that is a journey and not a final destination. And I think that really connects well with the Stonewall Riots.

Again, the events that took place at Stonewall, they were not the first LGBTQ+ equality movement. I mean, the history goes way back.

There are organizations decades before that, which, again, I definitely would like to cover in future episodes. I feel like I say that all the time, definitely want to cover that, though.

But again, while it wasn't the first of the movement, it was one of the biggest and most recognizable. It was one of the early movements that really got the attention of the media.

And through that media attention, it really shone a light front and center on LGBTQ+ people and their fight for equality. And you can see how it inspired Pride from there.

The year after, there was a local parade in Manhattan, along with a couple other cities. And every year it's grown, and every year it continues to grow, even into 2023 and beyond.

So, while we have achieved a lot since 1969 and onwards, there is still so much more work to do.

So, we should definitely celebrate the progress we've made as a community, and recognize the work we've put in to achieve what we have today.

But also, we need to recognize there's a lot more work to be done. Our journey is not over. There's still a lot of inequalities in the world.

You know, lately, there's been a ton of anti-LGBTQ+, especially anti-trans legislation going on, looking at you Florida. So, we need to keep speaking up and speaking out about these inequalities.

We do need to show up and have pride in ourselves. And again, this is not easy work. It hurts when people are telling us we're no good, we don't deserve the same rights. It hurts.

But at the end of the day, while maybe uncomfortable, while we have to experience that, while we have to speak up for our rights, while that may be trying in the moment, we're really investing in ourselves and in our community to set us up for happiness, love, and gratitude in the future.

So be loud, be proud, and most importantly, remember to be safe. I hope you all have enjoyed your Pride month. For any last celebrations, please have fun and be safe.

And again, while you're celebrating, remember where the roots of Pride come from. And maybe share this episode with a family member or friend to remind them of Pride's roots.

Connect with A Jaded Gay (19:29)

And as always, thank you all for listening. Please remember to rate, review, and subscribe. If you have any questions or feedback, please reach out to me rob@ajadedgay.com.

You can follow the podcast on Instagram, TikTok, SoundCloud, and YouTube @ajadedgaypod. You can follow me personally on Instagram @rob_loveless.

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And remember every day is all we have, so you gotta make your own happiness.

Mmm-bye.