On a hot June night in 1969, the New York police raided a gay club called the Stonewall Inn. They planned to seize some under-the-counter liquor, arrest some 'loiterers', and and close down the club for a day or so. Instead, they became the catalyst for a riot that lasted for six days and sparked a massive movement towards equality for LGBTQ+ Americans.
On this episode, we're talking Joseph McCarthy, sodomy and loitering laws, the Mattachine Society's 'sip-in' protest, the Mafia, Marsha P Johnson, and what we celebrate when we celebrate Pride Month. (And happy Pride from us both!)
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Sources for this episode include:
"Remembering Stonewall", produced by D. Isay for NPR / All Things Considered, 1989
"Why Sodomy Laws Matter", by staff writer, ACLU.Com, n.d.
"The Stonewall Riots: A Documentary History", by M. Stein, 2019
"Behind the Halloween Mask: Power, Identity, and the Law in New York", by J. Gutierrez for New York Historical Society, 2020
"Stonewall Inn and Christopher Park" page, NYC LGBT History Sites
"Articles That Sparked a Final Night of Rioting", by various for the Village Voice, 1969
"Milestones in the American Gay Rights Movement" by staff writer, WGBH / PBS, 2015
"Life Story: Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992): Transgender Activist" by staff writer, Women and the American Story / New York Historical Society, n.d.
"Seymour Pine Dies at 91; Led Raid on Stonewall Inn" by D. Hevesi for the New York Times, 2010
