The Stonewall Riots And The Gay Rights Movement

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Gays and lesbian in the early 1900s were thought of as burdens, sinful and unhuman. They had no rights and were unable to live their lives to the fullest due to the lack of acceptance in society. Raids of gay bars were not uncommon during the 1960s, but this one was different. Everyone felt the rage of that night and it inspired something great. They had to go through hardships in every aspect of their lives. Unable to work, enlist in the army, or even live their own lives due to the strict laws on sodomy, and the idea that homosexuality was a mental illness. The Stonewall rioting was a turn of the century event, along with all the other movements in the 1960’s, the gay rights movement was a very important one triggered by this event. Coming out wasn’t even an idea as most people had to hide their true selves, until the Stonewall riots where not only was it accepted it was encouraged to be out and to be proud of who you are.
In the mid 1900s, before the Stonewall riots of …show more content…

Since homosexuality was an illness it refrained then from joining the war. The cold war was a heavy time of anti-fag brainwashing. Same sex sexual acts were grounds for dismissal, as well as the mental illness thought of as homosexuality. Stricter policies allowed the desolation of homosexuals from military service, giving them “blues discharges”, a most dishonourable way of leaving the military. As well as not helping in the war, they were actually blamed as “…communist threats…”³ and “…sabotaging the nation…”⁴. They were considered security risks, and even got fired from government jobs due to this newly propagated information.
Stonewall allowed gays, lesbians and transgendered human beings to rebel against the forces that were putting them down. Stonewall riots were the beginning of gay civil rights and is the cause of how far we’ve come

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