The Stonewall Riots: The Significance Of The LGBT Community

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Beginning in the early 1900s, the homosexual community was constantly stigmatized. It was considered a filthy sin, mentally dysfunctional behavior, or a temporary phase to name a few. When parents and societal figures found out that someone was gay or lesbian, they were exiled and forced to lead a refugee lifestyle. Though the deeply cutting words used against the LGBTQ community were overwhelmingly harsh and inhumane, communities and advocacy groups emerged to help those to cope, letting them know that they were never alone, and they always had someone to count on. After World War II the emergence of these advocacy groups became more prevalent, as gay and lesbian citizens were meeting other gay and lesbian citizens. The disruptions of World …show more content…

Stonewall is still considered a watershed moment of gay pride and has been commemorated since the 1970s with "pride marches" held every June across the United States. Recent scholarship has called for better acknowledgement of the roles that drag performers, minorities, and transgender patrons played in the Stonewall Riots. During stonewall, “everything came together”, and those who participated in this movement knew that this was what they had been waiting for all along. The fact that President Obama signified Stonewall as a National Historic Site speaks volumes. It says that we are progressing towards the wide acceptance of the LGBTQ community, although its important to note that we still have a long way to go. Slowly but surely, it is also becoming a domino effect for the support for gay marriage in different states. As I was watching TV the other day, a Cover Girl commercial appeared on my screen, and it was a young boy, with his make up done astoundingly, and it was such a beautiful site. It’s showing society that we do not have to live up to the old standard of what someone should like. You as a person can choose to be or do whatever you want in life, and that’s the way it should

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