Her most recent film, Bones of Contention, premiered in the 2016 Berlin International Seymour Pine, Deputy Inspector, Morals Division, NYPD:And they were, they were kids. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The Activism That Came Before Stonewall And The Movement That - NPR Ellinor Mitchell Marjorie Duffield Leaflets in the 60s were like the internet, today. We love to hear from our listeners! [00:00:58] Well, this I mean, this is a part of my own history in this weird, inchoate sense. Virginia Apuzzo: I grew up with that. Before Stonewall (1984) - IMDb As kids, we played King Kong. And gay people were standing around outside and the mood on the street was, "They think that they could disperse us last night and keep us from doing what we want to do, being on the street saying I'm gay and I'm proud? Every arrest and prosecution is a step in the education of the public to the solution of the problem. His movements are not characteristic of a real boy. John O'Brien:The election was in November of 1969 and this was the summer of 1969, this was June. Original Language: English. There are a lot of kids here. David Carter, Author ofStonewall:Most raids by the New York City Police, because they were paid off by the mob, took place on a weeknight, they took place early in the evening, the place would not be crowded. Louis Mandelbaum Tommy Lanigan-Schmidt:The Stonewall pulled in everyone from every part of gay life. Doug Cramer That night, the police ran from us, the lowliest of the low. Jeremiah Hawkins 1969: The Stonewall Uprising - Library of Congress Howard Smith, Reporter,The Village Voice:I had a column inThe Village Voicethat ran from '66 all the way through '84. He may appear normal, and it may be too late when you discover he is mentally ill. John O'Brien:I was a poor, young gay person. Doric Wilson:Somebody that I knew that was older than me, his family had him sent off where they go up and damage the frontal part of the brain. A gay rights march in New York in favor of the 1968 Civil Rights Act being amended to include gay rights. Stonewall Forever Explore the monument Watch the documentary Download the AR app About & FAQ Privacy Policy [2][3] Later in 2019, the film was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[4][5][6]. Dr. Socarides (Archival):Homosexuality is in fact a mental illness which has reached epidemiological proportions. But as visibility increased, the reactions of people increased. As you read, keep in mind that LGBTQ+ is a relatively new term and, while queer people have always existed, the terminology has changed frequently over the years. Alexis Charizopolis They were the storm troopers. BBC Worldwide Americas It is usually after the day at the beach that the real crime occurs. Now, 50 years later, the film is back. Daily News Well, little did he know that what was gonna to happen later on was to make history. So it was a perfect storm for the police. When police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of New York City on June 28, 1969, the street erupted into violent protests that lasted for the next six days. Before Stonewall was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 1985 Sundance Film Festival. And, it was, I knew I would go through hell, I would go through fire for that experience. So I run down there. One never knows when the homosexual is about. Samual Murkofsky But we couldn't hold out very long. The Stonewall riots, as they came to be known, marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement in the United States and around the world. Not able to do anything. Detective John Sorenson, Dade County Morals & Juvenile Squad (Archival):There may be some in this auditorium. In 1969 the police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City's Greenwich Village, leading to three nights of rioting by the city's gay community. I grew up in a very Catholic household and the conflict of issues of redemption, of is it possible that if you are this thing called homosexual, is it possible to be redeemed? Kanopy - Stream Classic Cinema, Indie Film and Top Documentaries Brief Summary Of The Documentary 'Before Stonewall' | Bartleby And you felt bad that you were part of this, when you knew they broke the law, but what kind of law was that? Martin Boyce:For me, there was no bar like the Stonewall, because the Stonewall was like the watering hole on the savannah. Tommy Lanigan-Schmidt The events that took place in June 1969 have been described as the birth of the gay-rights movement, but that's only partially true. We went, "Oh my God. They call them hotels, motels, lovers' lanes, drive-in movie theaters, etc. Prisoner (Archival):I realize that, but the thing is that for life I'll be wrecked by this record, see? It was as bad as any situation that I had met in during the army, had just as much to worry about. Cause I was from the streets. It's not my cup of tea. And there was like this tension in the air and it just like built and built. And so there was this drag queen standing on the corner, so they go up and make a sexual offer and they'd get busted. And they started smashing their heads with clubs. Martin Boyce:And then more police came, and it didn't stop. John DiGiacomo Jerry Hoose:Who was gonna complain about a crackdown against gay people? And then there were all these priests ranting in church about certain places not to go, so you kind of knew where you could go by what you were told not to do. That's more an uprising than a riot. Martin Boyce:It was another great step forward in the story of human rights, that's what it was. ABCNEWS VideoSource Do you want them to lose all chance of a normal, happy, married life? Lauren Noyes. Genre: Documentary, History, Drama. Judith Kuchar Danny Garvin:We became a people. We assembled on Christopher Street at 6th Avenue, to march. David Alpert That never happened before. Except for the few mob-owned bars that allowed some socializing, it was basically for verboten. Things were just changing. Available via license: Content may be subject to . Howard Smith, Reporter,The Village Voice:And I keep listening and listening and listening, hoping I'm gonna hear sirens any minute and I was very freaked. Martin Boyce:I had cousins, ten years older than me, and they had a car sometimes. We'd say, "Here comes Lillian.". The film combined personal interviews, snapshots and home movies, together with historical footage. Before Stonewall | Apple TV First Run Features The events that took place in June 1969 have been described as the birth of the gay-rights movement, but that's only partially true. They really were objecting to how they were being treated. I say, I cannot tell this without tearing up. Dick Leitsch:Well, gay bars were the social centers of gay life. Scott Kardel, Project Administration Tommy Lanigan-Schmidt:We would scatter, ka-poom, every which way. A lot of them had been thrown out of their families. David Carter A New York Police officer grabs a man by the hair as another officer clubs a. Dick Leitsch:And so the cops came with these buses, like five buses, and they all were full of tactical police force. Like, "Joe, if you fire your gun without me saying your name and the words 'fire,' you will be walking a beat on Staten Island all alone on a lonely beach for the rest of your police career. And I had become very radicalized in that time. 400 Plankinton Ave. Compton's Cafeteria Raid, San Francisco, California, 1966 Coopers Do-Nut Raid, Los Angeles, California, 1959 Pepper Hill Club Raid, Baltimore, Maryland in 1955. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Teddy Awards, the film was shown at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2016. 1984 documentary film by Greta Schiller and Robert Rosenberg, "Berlinale 2016: Panorama Celebrates Teddy Award's 30th Anniversary and Announces First Titles in Programme", "Guest Post: What I Learned From Revisiting My 1984 Documentary 'Before Stonewall', "See the 25 New Additions to the National Film Registry, From Purple Rain to Clerks", "Complete National Film Registry Listing", "Before Stonewall - Independent Historical Film", Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community (Newly Restored), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Before_Stonewall&oldid=1134540821, Documentary films about United States history, Historiography of LGBT in the United States, United States National Film Registry films, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 19 January 2023, at 05:30. Ed Koch, Councilman, New York City:Yes, entrapment did exist, particularly in the subway system, in the bathrooms. That wasn't ours, it was borrowed. John O'Brien:Whenever you see the cops, you would run away from them. And we were singing: "We are the Village girls, we wear our hair in curls, we wear our dungarees, above our nellie knees." Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community And Vito and I walked the rest of the whole thing with tears running down our face. And that crowd between Howard Johnson's and Mama's Chik-n-Rib was like the basic crowd of the gay community at that time in the Village. The documentary "Before Stonewall" was very educational and interesting because it shows a retail group that fought for the right to integrate into the society and was where the homosexual revolution occurred. Dick Leitsch:We wore suits and ties because we wanted people, in the public, who were wearing suits and ties, to identify with us. Before Stonewall - Letterboxd It must have been terrifying for them. Oddball Film + Video, San Francisco And they were gay. [7] In 1987, the film won Emmy Awards for Best Historical/Cultural Program and Best Research. 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. Slate:Activity Group Therapy (1950), Columbia University Educational Films. There's a little door that slides open with this power-hungry nut behind that, you see this much of your eyes, and he sees that much of your face, and then he decides whether you're going to get in. Martin Boyce:You could be beaten, you could have your head smashed in a men's room because you were looking the wrong way. I first engaged in such acts when I was 14 years old. Interviewer (Archival):What type of laws are you after? And that, that was a very haunting issue for me. And it's interesting to note how many youngsters we've been seeing in these films. And the people coming out weren't going along with it so easily. It was a horror story. And Howard said, "Boy there's like a riot gonna happen here," and I said, "yeah." The award winning film Before Stonewall pries open the closet door, setting free the dramatic story of the sometimes horrifying public and private existences experienced by gay and lesbian Americans since the 1920s. We ought to know, we've arrested all of them. All I knew about was that I heard that there were people down in Times Square who were gay and that's where I went to. What Jimmy didn't know is that Ralph was sick. I entered the convent at 26, to pursue that question and I was convinced that I would either stay until I got an answer, or if I didn't get an answer just stay. Some of the pre-Stonewall uprisings included: Black Cat Raid, Los Angeles, California, 1967 Black Night Brawl, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, August 5, 1961. A word that would be used in the 1960s for gay men and lesbians. Danny Garvin:We were talking about the revolution happening and we were walking up 7th Avenue and I was thinking it was either Black Panthers or the Young Lords were going to start it and we turned the corner from 7th Avenue onto Christopher Street and we saw the paddy wagon pull up there. John O'Brien:They had increased their raids in the trucks. Before Stonewall - Wikipedia Seymour Pine, Deputy Inspector, Morals Division, NYPD:We were looking for secret exits and one of the policewomen was able to squirm through the window and they did find a way out. Documentary | Stonewall Forever Lucian Truscott, IV, Reporter,The Village Voice:Saturday night there it was. And the rest of your life will be a living hell. I was never seduced by an older person or anything like that. Sign up for the American Experience newsletter! This 1968 Film Put Drag Queens In The Spotlight Before Stonewall - HuffPost Martha Shelley John O'Brien:There was one street called Christopher Street, where actually I could sit and talk to other gay people beyond just having sex. Diana Davies Photographs, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations Danny Garvin:With Waverly Street coming in there, West Fourth coming in there, Seventh Avenue coming in there, Christopher Street coming in there, there was no way to contain us. Tom Caruso Newly restored for the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, Before Stonewall pries open the . Because that's what they were looking for, any excuse to try to bust the place. Then the cops come up and make use of what used to be called the bubble-gum machine, back then a cop car only had one light on the top that spun around. Just let's see if they can. Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community Lilli M. Vincenz 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. The history of the Gay and Lesbian community before the Stonewall riots began the major gay rights movement. You had no place to try to find an identity. Evan Eames Danny Garvin:He's a faggot, he's a sissy, queer. Hear more of the conversation and historical interviews at the audio link. We had been threatened bomb threats. Before Stonewall - Rotten Tomatoes Yvonne Ritter:It's like people who are, you know, black people who are used to being mistreated, and going to the back of the bus and I guess this was sort of our going to the back of the bus. One of the world's oldest and largest gay pride parades became a victory celebration after New York's historic decision to legalize same-sex marriage. Because one out of three of you will turn queer. The lights came on, it's like stop dancing. Tweet at us @throughlineNPR, send us an email, or leave us a voicemail at (872) 588-8805. (c) 2011 Review: 'Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community' Oh, tell me about your anxiety. In 1969 it was common for police officers to rough up a gay bar and ask for payoffs. Trevor, Post Production David Huggins Calling 'em names, telling 'em how good-looking they were, grabbing their butts. The very idea of being out, it was ludicrous. And this went on for hours. John Scagliotti Doric Wilson And it was those loudest people, the most vulnerable, the most likely to be arrested, were the ones that were doing the real fighting. Before Stonewall, the activists wanted to fit into society and not rock the boat. We were all there. And there was tear gas on Saturday night, right in front of the Stonewall. Martin Boyce:The day after the first riot, when it was all over, and I remember sitting, sun was soon to come, and I was sitting on the stoop, and I was exhausted and I looked at that street, it was dark enough to allow the street lamps to pick up the glitter of all the broken glass, and all the debris, and all the different colored cloth, that was in different places. People cheer while standing in front of The Stonewall Inn as the annual Gay Pride parade passes, Sunday, June 26, 2011 in New York. Watch Before Stonewall | Prime Video - amazon.com How do you think that would affect him mentally, for the rest of their lives if they saw an act like that being? William Eskridge, Professor of Law:All throughout the 60s in New York City, the period when the New York World's Fair was attracting visitors from all over America and all over the world. I hope it was. William Eskridge, Professor of Law:At the peak, as many as 500 people per year were arrested for the crime against nature, and between 3- and 5,000 people per year arrested for various solicitation or loitering crimes. It was done in our little street talk. TV Host (Archival):And Sonia is that your own hair? Martin Boyce:I wasn't labeled gay, just "different." Susana Fernandes TV Host (Archival):Ladies and gentlemen, the reason for using first names only forthese very, very charming contestants is that right now each one of them is breaking the law. All the rules were off in the '60s. It eats you up inside not being comfortable with yourself. Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives So I attempted suicide by cutting my wrists. John O'Brien:And deep down I believed because I was gay and couldn't speak out for my rights, was probably one of the reasons that I was so active in the Civil Rights Movement. It was a down at a heels kind of place, it was a lot of street kids and things like that. Stonewall: A riot that changed millions of lives - BBC News It premiered at the 1984 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in the United States on June 27, 1985. Even non-gay people.