W S 203 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Mattachine Society, Closeted, Stonewall Uprising
28 Apr 2017
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Document Summary
Summer (june) of 1969 is when stonewall riots took place, new york city. Before 1969, all homosexual acts were illegal in every state except illinois. Goal of police was to close down all gay bars and meeting spots. The police ran away from the gay men fighting at stonewall. Homosexuality at this time was still seen as a mental disease/disorder, and tropes of homosexuals were seen as: unfaithful, psychopathic, promiscuous, unnatural, weird, sexual deviates, freaks. Homosexuality was seen as a dishonorable discharge in the military: jobs were taken away, right to be in public was revoked. Names, phone numbers, and addresses of gay people were put in public spheres (newspapers, etc. ) Before stonewall, there was no concept of coming out . Gay people were hunted: followed in to the bathroom, drag queens, too, cops would go undercover in drag, entrapment, subways, bathrooms. Mafia controlled the gay bar business: stone wall.
