Stonewall Riots: Civil Rights Perceptions Of Homosexuals

The LGBTQ community has developed and changed over the years, gradually becoming more inclusive of all types of sexual and gender identities. It brings a sense of belonging to a group of people and gives many that land in the span of the LGBTQ spectrum places that they know they can go to where they will be accepted. However the community that queer people have built around them and the acceptance of the diversity and complexity of how people identify themselves does not always transfer into other aspects of life. The LGBTQ spectrum is ever changing adding new identities all the time, however they are not always readily accepted by all. Gender and sexual fluidity being among the ones that have had to face their battles to have basic rights …show more content…
According to the History Channel in 1969, the Stonewall Inn (a gay club) was raided by police for the illegal distribution of alcohol. At first the crowd on the street watched quietly as the employees were arrested, but as three drag queens and a lesbian were put into a paddy wagon the onlookers started hurling bottles at the police. The policemen had to take cover in the building until reinforcements came. Soon the crowd was broken up, but they continued to protest in New York for the next several days(The Stonewall Riots). The situation had spiraled out of control because of New York prohibiting homosexuality in public. After the raiding of most of the gay establishments in New York, Stonewall was the last straw in the LGBTQ community and led to discussions about civil rights, advocacy groups, and many more things(The Leadership Conference). Much like the raiding of Stonewall, many occasions that affected the history of the LGBTQ spectrum had some sort of deeper meaning behind …show more content…
The LGBTQ Spectrum and Community do everything they can in order to create awareness. One of the many things they have done is continuously explaining themselves and their world to others. Melissa Fabello, a sexuality educator based out of Philadelphia, wrote an article on Ravishly, a website about feminism, but was later published on the Huffington Post, explained the way her sexuality has changed over time and that it was never a “phase”, but understanding herself a different way. In the article she says, “I’m over here rooted firmly in my understanding of my experience, and you are insistent that I’m not — just because this is a new concept to you. I have lived with my sexually-fluid self for the entirety of my existence.That’s 30 years of experience with sexual fluidity. You just came upon this concept recently. I promise that I am less confused than you