Things were just changing. One time, a bunch of us ran into somebody's car and locked the door and they smashed the windows in. John Scagliotti Diana Davies Photographs, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations And I hadn't had enough sleep, so I was in a somewhat feverish state, and I thought, "We have to do something, we have to do something," and I thought, "We have to have a protest march of our own." Yvonne Ritter:I did try to get out of the bar and I thought that there might be a way out through one of the bathrooms. You see, Ralph was a homosexual. For the first time, we weren't letting ourselves be carted off to jails, gay people were actually fighting back just the way people in the peace movement fought back. And they wore dark police uniforms and riot helmets and they had billy clubs and they had big plastic shields, like Roman army, and they actually formed a phalanx, and just marched down Christopher Street and kind of pushed us in front of them. It's a history that people feel a huge sense of ownership over. 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. TV Host (Archival):Are those your own eyelashes? Raymond Castro:We were in the back of the room, and the lights went on, so everybody stopped what they were doing, because now the police started coming in, raiding the bar. But we went down to the trucks and there, people would have sex. Martin Boyce:It was thrilling. Dick Leitsch:There were Black Panthers and there were anti-war people. You know, all of a sudden, I had brothers and sisters, you know, which I didn't have before. This, to a homosexual, is no choice at all. Ed Koch, Councilman, New York City:Yes, entrapment did exist, particularly in the subway system, in the bathrooms. One never knows when the homosexual is about. Martha Shelley:They wanted to fit into American society the way it was. And that, that was a very haunting issue for me. Samual Murkofsky And we had no right to such. 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. Jerry Hoose:The police would come by two or three times a night. Creating the First Visual History of Queer Life Before Stonewall Making a landmark documentary about LGBTQ Americans before 1969 meant digging through countless archives to find traces of. Alexis Charizopolis The Activism That Came Before Stonewall And The Movement That - NPR Somehow being gay was the most terrible thing you could possibly be. You needed a license even to be a beautician and that could be either denied or taken away from you. John O'Brien:They had increased their raids in the trucks. TV Host (Archival):And Sonia is that your own hair? Trevor, Post Production Narrated by Rita Mae Brownan acclaimed writer whose 1973 novel Rubyfruit Jungle is a seminal lesbian text, but who is possessed of a painfully grating voiceBefore Stonewall includes vintage news footage that makes it clear that gay men and women lived full, if often difficult, lives long before their personal ambitions (however modest) Danny Garvin:He's a faggot, he's a sissy, queer. It said the most dreadful things, it said nothing about being a person. It was a real good sound to know that, you know, you had a lot of people out there pulling for you. Because that's what they were looking for, any excuse to try to bust the place. What finally made sense to me was the first time I kissed a woman and I thought, "Oh, this is what it's about." Today, that event is seen as the start of the gay civil rights movement, but gay activists and organizations were standing up to harassment and discrimination years before. 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. Frank Kameny Barney Karpfinger This is one thing that if you don't get caught by us, you'll be caught by yourself. The most infamous of those institutions was Atascadero, in California. Yvonne Ritter:And then everybody started to throw pennies like, you know, this is what they were, they were nothing but copper, coppers, that's what they were worth. Former U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with gay rights activist Frank Kameny after signing a memorandum on federal benefits and non-discrimination in the Oval Office on June 17, 2009. It was fun to see fags. Judith Kuchar That was our world, that block. Frank Kameny, co-founder of the Mattachine Society, and Shirley Willer, president of the Daughters of Bilitis, spoke to Marcus about being gay before the Stonewall riots happened and what motivated people who were involved in the movement. Danny Garvin:We became a people. If that didn't work, they would do things like aversive conditioning, you know, show you pornography and then give you an electric shock. 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. Ellinor Mitchell WGBH Educational Foundation The very idea of being out, it was ludicrous. In the trucks or around the trucks. The Underground Lounge You had no place to try to find an identity. Martin Boyce:Well, in the front part of the bar would be like "A" gays, like regular gays, that didn't go in any kind of drag, didn't use the word "she," that type, but they were gay, a hundred percent gay. They call them hotels, motels, lovers' lanes, drive-in movie theaters, etc. (c) 2011 They frequent their own clubs, and bars and coffee houses, where they can escape the disapproving eye of the society that they call straight. It was one of the things you did in New York, it was like the Barnum and Bailey aspect of it. Dick Leitsch:And I remember it being a clear evening with a big black sky and the biggest white moon I ever saw. But, that's when we knew, we were ourselves for the first time. A New York Police officer grabs a man by the hair as another officer clubs a man during a confrontation in Greenwich Village after a Gay Power march in New York. Participants of the 1969 Greenwich Village uprising describe the effect that Stonewall had on their lives. 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. Narrator (Archival):Do you want your son enticed into the world of homosexuals, or your daughter lured into lesbianism? Watch Before Stonewall | Prime Video - amazon.com So I run down there. Lucian Truscott, IV, Reporter,The Village Voice:They started busting cans of tear gas. Glenn Fukushima That summer, New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in Greenwich Village. If there's one place in the world where you can dance and feel yourself fully as a person and that's threatened with being taken away, those words are fighting words. It was narrated by author Rita Mae Brown, directed by Greta Schiller, co-directed by Robert Rosenberg, and co-produced by John Scagliotti and Rosenberg, and Schiller. Available on Prime Video, Tubi TV, iTunes. Slate:Activity Group Therapy (1950), Columbia University Educational Films. Martin Boyce:That was our only block. On June 28, 1969, New York City police raided a Greenwich Village gay bar, the Stonewall Inn, setting off a three-day riot that launched the modern American gay rights movement. Dana Kirchoff Slate:Boys Beware(1961) Public Service Announcement. And the police escalated their crackdown on bars because of the reelection campaign. John O'Brien:We had no idea we were gonna finish the march. I'm losing everything that I have. I famously used the word "fag" in the lead sentence I said "the forces of faggotry." And the Stonewall was part of that system. Danny Garvin:Everybody would just freeze or clam up. And I ran into Howard Smith on the street,The Village Voicewas right there. Every arrest and prosecution is a step in the education of the public to the solution of the problem. Martin Boyce:It was another great step forward in the story of human rights, that's what it was. Jerry Hoose:The bar itself was a toilet. So anything that would set us off, we would go into action. Jerry Hoose:I was chased down the street with billy clubs. ", Martin Boyce:People in the neighborhood, the most unlikely people were starting to support it. [1] To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in 2019, the film was restored and re-released by First Run Features in June 2019. We were scared. Stonewall Forever is a documentary from NYC's LGBT Community Center directed by Ro Haber. Alexis Charizopolis On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. (Enter your ZIP code for information on American Experience events and screening in your area.). 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. There are a lot of kids here. Paul Bosche Finally, Mayor Lindsay listened to us and he announced that there would be no more police entrapment in New York City. Jerry Hoose:Who was gonna complain about a crackdown against gay people? So you couldn't have a license to practice law, you couldn't be a licensed doctor. I was a man. There were occasions where you did see people get night-sticked, or disappear into a group of police and, you know, everybody knew that was not going to have a good end. Jimmy hadn't enjoyed himself so much in a long time. Maureen Jordan Howard Smith, Reporter,The Village Voice:It was getting worse and worse. "You could have got us in a lot of trouble, you could have got us closed up." Eric Marcus, Recreation Still Photography Alan Lechner Mafia house beer? Seymour Pine, Deputy Inspector, Morals Division, NYPD:We only had about six people altogether from the police department knowing that you had a precinct right nearby that would send assistance. I never saw so many gay people dancing in my life. Before Stonewall 1984 Unrated 1 h 27 m IMDb RATING 7.5 /10 1.1K YOUR RATING Rate Play trailer 2:21 1 Video 7 Photos Documentary History The history of the Gay and Lesbian community before the Stonewall riots began the major gay rights movement. That never happened before. John O'Brien:Whenever you see the cops, you would run away from them. Lucian Truscott, IV, Reporter,The Village Voice:All of straight America, in terms of the middle class, was recoiling in horror from what was happening all around them at that time, in that summer and the summer before. 'Cause I really realized that I was being trained as a straight person, so I could really fool these people. MacDonald & Associates It was first released in 1984 with its American premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and its European premiere at the Berlinale, followed by a successful theatrical release in many countries and a national broadcast on PBS. 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. Director . Geoff Kole Narrator (Archival):This involves showing the gay man pictures of nude males and shocking him with a strong electric current. It was right in the center of where we all were. But everybody knew it wasn't normal stuff and everyone was on edge and that was the worst part of it because you knew they were on edge and you knew that the first shot that was fired meant all the shots would be fired. Raymond Castro:New York City subways, parks, public bathrooms, you name it. That wasn't ours, it was borrowed. Martha Shelley:The riot could have been buried, it could have been a few days in the local newspaper and that was that. Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community (Newly David Carter, Author ofStonewall:There was also vigilantism, people were using walkie-talkies to coordinate attacks on gay men. It was terrifying. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City, activists rode their motorcycles during the city's 1989 gay-pride parade. Doric Wilson:There was joy because the cops weren't winning. Except for the few mob-owned bars that allowed some socializing, it was basically for verboten. PDF BEFORE STONEWALL press kit - First Run Features And when you got a word, the word was homosexuality and you looked it up. Narrator (Archival):This is a nation of laws. Before Stonewall (1984) - Plot Summary - IMDb Hugh Bush Jimmy knew he shouldn't be interested but, well, he was curious. I really thought that, you know, we did it. That was scary, very scary. Do you understand me?". Well, little did he know that what was gonna to happen later on was to make history. And the cops got that. That's what gave oxygen to the fire. Dick Leitsch:It was an invasion, I mean you felt outraged and stuff like you know what, God, this is America, what's this country come to? Seymour Pine, Deputy Inspector, Morals Division, NYPD:Our radio was cut off every time we got on the police radio. Danny Garvin:People were screaming "pig," "copper." We didn't expect we'd ever get to Central Park. Mike Wallace (Archival):Two out of three Americans look upon homosexuals with disgust, discomfort or fear. Danny Garvin:Bam, bam and bash and then an opening and then whoa. Greenwich Village's Stonewall Inn has undergone several transformations in the decades since it was the focal point of a three-day riot in 1969. "BEFORE STONEWALL" - MetroFocus It was as if an artist had arranged it, it was beautiful, it was like mica, it was like the streets we fought on were strewn with diamonds. Calling 'em names, telling 'em how good-looking they were, grabbing their butts. Dick Leitsch:We wore suits and ties because we wanted people, in the public, who were wearing suits and ties, to identify with us. We didn't want to come on, you know, wearing fuzzy sweaters and lipstick, you know, and being freaks. This was a highly unusual raid, going in there in the middle of the night with a full crowd, the Mafia hasn't been alerted, the Sixth Precinct hasn't been alerted. Then during lunch, Ralph showed him some pornographic pictures. For the first time the next person stood up. Before Stonewall, the activists wanted to fit into society and not rock the boat. 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. Martha Shelley:I don't know if you remember the Joan Baez song, "It isn't nice to block the doorway, it isn't nice to go to jail, there're nicer ways to do it but the nice ways always fail." Stonewall Forever Explore the monument Watch the documentary Download the AR app About & FAQ Privacy Policy hide caption. It's not my cup of tea. Jerry Hoose:And I got to the corner of Sixth Avenue and Eighth Street, crossed the street and there I had found Nirvana. Richard Enman (Archival):Present laws give the adult homosexual only the choice of being, to simplify the matter, heterosexual and legal or homosexual and illegal. This was in front of the police. Just making their lives miserable for once. I had never seen anything like that. Genre: Documentary, History, Drama. The groundbreaking 1984 film "Before Stonewall" introduced audiences to some of the key players and places that helped spark the Greenwich Village riots. "Don't fire. View in iTunes. The police weren't letting us dance. I mean it didn't stop after that. [00:00:58] Well, this I mean, this is a part of my own history in this weird, inchoate sense. Dick Leitsch:Well, gay bars were the social centers of gay life. Sophie Cabott Black I met this guy and I broke down crying in his arms. And if enough people broke through they would be killed and I would be killed. It was as bad as any situation that I had met in during the army, had just as much to worry about. Marc Aubin It was not a place that, in my life, me and my friends paid much attention to. Lilli M. Vincenz And if we catch you, involved with a homosexual, your parents are going to know about it first. A sickness of the mind. And then they send them out in the street and of course they did make arrests, because you know, there's all these guys who cruise around looking for drag queens. Cause I was from the streets. The windows were always cloaked. Fred Sargeant:Things started off small, but there was an energy that began to flow through the crowd. 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. Mike Nuget Yvonne Ritter:"In drag," quote unquote, the downside was that you could get arrested, you could definitely get arrested if someone clocked you or someone spooked that you were not really what you appeared to be on the outside. Interviewer (Archival):Are you a homosexual? Because to be gay represented to me either very, super effeminate men or older men who hung out in the upper movie theatres on 42nd Street or in the subway T-rooms, who'd be masturbating. Linton Media 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. Long before marriage equality, non-binary gender identity, and the flood of new documentaries commemorating this month's 50th anniversary of the Greenwich Village uprising that begat the gay rights movement, there was Greta Schiller's Before Stonewall.Originally released in 1984as AIDS was slowly killing off many of those bar patrons-turned-revolutionariesthe film, through the use of . And the rest of your life will be a living hell. Suzanne Poli Tires were slashed on police cars and it just went on all night long. Jay Fialkov People could take shots at us. And you will be caught, don't think you won't be caught, because this is one thing you cannot get away with. And this went on for hours. John O'Brien:I was with a group that we actually took a parking meter out of theground, three or four people, and we used it as a battering ram. The overwhelming number of medical authorities said that homosexuality was a mental defect, maybe even a form of psychopathy. They would bang on the trucks. Kanopy - Stream Classic Cinema, Indie Film and Top Documentaries It is usually after the day at the beach that the real crime occurs. Narrator (Archival):Note how Albert delicately pats his hair, and adjusts his collar. And they were lucky that door was closed, they were very lucky. I am not alone, there are other people that feel exactly the same way.". It was the only time I was in a gladiatorial sport that I stood up in. Absolutely, and many people who were not lucky, felt the cops. The term like "authority figures" wasn't used back then, there was just "Lily Law," "Patty Pig," "Betty Badge." Audience Member (Archival):I was wondering if you think that there are any quote "happy homosexuals" for whom homosexuality would be, in a way, their best adjustment in life? Review: 'Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community' The men's room was under police surveillance. The idea was to be there first. They were to us. Homosexuals do not want that, you might find some fringe character someplace who says that that's what he wants. Doric Wilson:And we were about 100, 120 people and there were people lining the sidewalks ahead of us to watch us go by, gay people, mainly. William Eskridge, Professor of Law:The federal government would fire you, school boards would fire you. It must have been terrifying for them. Before Stonewall (1984) Movie Script | Subs like Script 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. Martha Shelley:When I was growing up in the '50s, I was supposed to get married to some guy, produce, you know, the usual 2.3 children, and I could look at a guy and say, "Well, objectively he's good looking," but I didn't feel anything, just didn't make any sense to me. A few of us would get dressed up in skirts and blouses and the guys would all have to wear suits and ties. Amber Hall Narrator (Archival):Richard Enman, president of the Mattachine Society of Florida, whose goal is to legalize homosexuality between consenting adults, was a reluctant participant in tonight's program. Other images in this film are either recreations or drawn from events of the time.