before stonewall documentary transcript

Why 'Before Stonewall' Was Such a Hard Movie to Make - The Atlantic Howard Smith, Reporter,The Village Voice:I had a column inThe Village Voicethat ran from '66 all the way through '84. 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. A sickness of the mind. A year earlier, young gays, lesbians and transgender people clashed with police near a bar called The Stonewall Inn. Gay people were never supposed to be threats to police officers. Jerry Hoose:The open gay people that hung out on the streets were basically the have-nothing-to-lose types, which I was. Virginia Apuzzo:What we felt in isolation was a growing sense of outrage and fury particularly because we looked around and saw so many avenues of rebellion. It eats you up inside not being comfortable with yourself. So it was a perfect storm for the police. Jerry Hoose:And I got to the corner of Sixth Avenue and Eighth Street, crossed the street and there I had found Nirvana. And I said to myself, "Oh my God, this will not last.". And there was like this tension in the air and it just like built and built. We were scared. Fred Sargeant:Someone at this point had apparently gone down to the cigar stand on the corner and got lighter fluid. Mafia house beer? Before Stonewall (1984) - IMDb "Daybreak Express" by D.A. This book, and the related documentary film, use oral histories to present students with a varied view of lesbian and gay experience. Martin Boyce:Mind you socks didn't count, so it was underwear, and undershirt, now the next thing was going to ruin the outfit. It eats you up inside. Scott Kardel, Project Administration Gay people were not powerful enough politically to prevent the clampdown and so you had a series of escalating skirmishes in 1969. In a spontaneous show of support and frustration, the citys gay community rioted for three nights in the streets, an event that is considered the birth of the modern Gay Rights Movement. So I attempted suicide by cutting my wrists. How do you think that would affect him mentally, for the rest of their lives if they saw an act like that being? Fred Sargeant:We knew that they were serving drinks out of vats and buckets of water and believed that there had been some disease that had been passed. Absolutely, and many people who were not lucky, felt the cops. Slate:Activity Group Therapy (1950), Columbia University Educational Films. In the sexual area, in psychology, psychiatry. Jay Fialkov Fred Sargeant:Things started off small, but there was an energy that began to flow through the crowd. Calling 'em names, telling 'em how good-looking they were, grabbing their butts. Susana Fernandes It was a 100% profit, I mean they were stealing the liquor, then watering it down, and they charging twice as much as they charged one door away at the 55. Jerry Hoose:Who was gonna complain about a crackdown against gay people? Your choice, you can come in with us or you can stay out here with the crowd and report your stuff from out here. We were going to propose something that all groups could participate in and what we ended up producing was what's now known as the gay pride march. 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. Fifty years ago, a riot broke out at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City's Greenwich Village. Amber Hall and I didn't see anything but a forest of hands. Ellinor Mitchell Tommy Lanigan-Schmidt:As much as I don't like to say it, there's a place for violence. Martin Boyce:In the early 60s, if you would go near Port Authority, there were tons of people coming in. I first engaged in such acts when I was 14 years old. Fred Sargeant:When it was clear that things were definitely over for the evening, we decided we needed to do something more. The first police officer that came in with our group said, "The place is under arrest. It's like, this is not right. I have pondered this as "Before Stonewall," my first feature documentary, is back in cinemas after 35 years. 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. But I had only stuck my head in once at the Stonewall. People standing on cars, standing on garbage cans, screaming, yelling. You see, Ralph was a homosexual. Martin Boyce But you live with it, you know, you're used to this, after the third time it happened, or, the third time you heard about it, that's the way the world is. I went in there and they took bats and just busted that place up. 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. But after the uprising, polite requests for change turned into angry demands. Nobody. Windows started to break. They would bang on the trucks. It was a real good sound to know that, you know, you had a lot of people out there pulling for you. "We're not going.". 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." All kinds of designers, boxers, big museum people. Slate:The Homosexual(1967), CBS Reports. And I had become very radicalized in that time. They were supposed to be weak men, limp-wristed. The Chicago riots, the Human Be-in, the dope smoking, the hippies. I never saw so many gay people dancing in my life. We'd say, "Here comes Lillian.". TV Host (Archival):Are those your own eyelashes? The overwhelming number of medical authorities said that homosexuality was a mental defect, maybe even a form of psychopathy. You throw into that, that the Stonewall was raided the previous Tuesday night. Howard Smith, Reporter,The Village Voice:At a certain point, it felt pretty dangerous to me but I noticed that the cop that seemed in charge, he said you know what, we have to go inside for safety. We knew that this was a moment that we didn't want to let slip past, because it was something that we could use to bring more of the groups together. And a whole bunch of people who were in the paddy wagon ran out. Danny Garvin:There was more anger and more fight the second night. Revealing and. John O'Brien:In the Civil Rights Movement, we ran from the police, in the peace movement, we ran from the police. I told the person at the door, I said "I'm 18 tonight" and he said to me, "you little SOB," he said. It was like a reward. 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. Synopsis. Dick Leitsch:We wore suits and ties because we wanted people, in the public, who were wearing suits and ties, to identify with us. "You could have got us in a lot of trouble, you could have got us closed up." Jerry Hoose:The police would come by two or three times a night. Do you want them to lose all chance of a normal, happy, married life? Before Stonewall - Wikipedia A medievalist. The ones that came close you could see their faces in rage. The events. Martin Boyce:We were like a Hydra. Seymour Pine, Deputy Inspector, Morals Division, NYPD:We told this to our men. Over a short period of time, he will be unable to get sexually aroused to the pictures, and hopefully, he will be unable to get sexually aroused inside, in other settings as well. And the first gay power demonstration to my knowledge was against my story inThe Village Voiceon Wednesday. Because if you don't have extremes, you don't get any moderation. But it's serious, don't kid yourselves about it. They were to us. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Marjorie Duffield And Vito and I walked the rest of the whole thing with tears running down our face. Before Stonewall | The New York Public Library Yvonne Ritter:I had just turned 18 on June 27, 1969. 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. If you would like to read more on the topic, here's a list: Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and NPR One. The homosexual, bitterly aware of his rejection, responds by going underground. I was proud. Seymour Pine, Deputy Inspector, Morals Division, NYPD:Well, I had to act like I wasn't nervous. Stonewall Forever Explore the monument Watch the documentary Download the AR app About & FAQ Privacy Policy Paul Bosche Pennebaker courtesy of Pennebaker Hegedus Films Hear more of the conversation and historical interviews at the audio link. Raymond Castro:Society expected you to, you know, grow up, get married, have kids, which is what a lot of people did to satisfy their parents. Seymour Pine, Deputy Inspector, Morals Division, NYPD:The moment you stepped out that door there would be hundreds facing you. What Jimmy didn't know is that Ralph was sick. First Run Features In the trucks or around the trucks. America thought we were these homosexual monsters and we were so innocent, and oddly enough, we were so American. Narrator (Archival):Sure enough, the following day, when Jimmy finished playing ball, well, the man was there waiting. 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. Dick Leitsch:Well, gay bars were the social centers of gay life. And it would take maybe a half hour to clear the place out. And I just didn't understand that. First you gotta get past the door. And they were lucky that door was closed, they were very lucky. I made friends that first day. The New York State Liquor Authority refused to issue liquor licenses to many gay bars, and several popular establishments had licenses suspended or revoked for "indecent conduct.". Stonewall: A riot that changed millions of lives - BBC News The Mafia owned the jukeboxes, they owned the cigarette machines and most of the liquor was off a truck hijacking. Get the latest on new films and digital content, learn about events in your area, and get your weekly fix of American history. Transcript Aired June 9, 2020 Stonewall Uprising The Year That Changed America Film Description When police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of. Samual Murkofsky 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. Producers Library BBC Worldwide Americas Stonewall Uprising Program Transcript Slate: In 1969, homosexual acts were illegal in every state except Illinois. ", Martin Boyce:People in the neighborhood, the most unlikely people were starting to support it. This documentary uses extensive archival film, movie clips and personal recollections to construct an audiovisual history of the gay community before the Stonewall riots. William Eskridge, Professor of Law: The 1960s were dark ages for lesbians and gay men all over America. And, I did not like parading around while all of these vacationers were standing there eating ice cream and looking at us like we were critters in a zoo. National Archives and Records Administration 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. Geoff Kole 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? This was ours, here's where the Stonewall was, here's our Mecca. Dick Leitsch:Very often, they would put the cops in dresses, with makeup and they usually weren't very convincing. And if we catch you, involved with a homosexual, your parents are going to know about it first. Just let's see if they can. They'd go into the bathroom or any place that was private, that they could either feel them, or check them visually. But that's only partially true. Also, through this fight, the "LGBT" was born. John O'Brien:I was very anti-police, had many years already of activism against the forces of law and order. The very idea of being out, it was ludicrous. John Scagliotti In an effort to avoid being anachronistic . We had no speakers planned for the rally in Central Park, where we had hoped to get to. Marcus spoke with NPR's Ari Shapiro about his conversations with leaders of the gay-rights movement, as well as people who were at Stonewall when the riots broke out. 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. Danny Garvin:He's a faggot, he's a sissy, queer. Dr. Socarides (Archival):Homosexuality is in fact a mental illness which has reached epidemiological proportions. Martin Boyce:Oh, Miss New Orleans, she wouldn't be stopped. Doric Wilson My last name being Garvin, I'd be called Danny Gay-vin. Chris Mara, Production Assistants Martin Boyce:And then more police came, and it didn't stop. Tommy Lanigan-Schmidt:Those of us that were the street kids we didn't think much about the past or the future. If that didn't work, they would do things like aversive conditioning, you know, show you pornography and then give you an electric shock. I mean they were making some headway. 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. Tommy Lanigan-Schmidt:We would scatter, ka-poom, every which way. Cause I was from the streets. John O'Brien:The election was in November of 1969 and this was the summer of 1969, this was June. "Don't fire. They were the storm troopers. Martha Shelley:We participated in demonstrations in Philadelphia at Independence Hall. A CBS news public opinion survey indicates that sentiment is against permitting homosexual relationships between consenting adults without legal punishment. Somehow being gay was the most terrible thing you could possibly be. I didn't think I could have been any prettier than that night. We didn't want to come on, you know, wearing fuzzy sweaters and lipstick, you know, and being freaks. View in iTunes. Oddball Film + Video, San Francisco And so Howard said, "We've got police press passes upstairs." 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. Ed Koch, Councilman, New York City:There were complaints from people who objected to the wrongful behavior of some gays who would have sex on the street. 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. He is not interested in, nor capable of a lasting relationship like that of a heterosexual marriage. Dana Kirchoff Genre: Documentary, History, Drama. Everyone from the street kids who were white and black kids from the South. They call them hotels, motels, lovers' lanes, drive-in movie theaters, etc. It premiered at the 1984 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in the United States on June 27, 1985. Frank Kameny Remember everything. The cops were barricaded inside. The film brings together voices from over 50 years of the LGBTQ rights movement to explore queer activism before, during and after the Stonewall Riots. Lucian Truscott, IV, Reporter,The Village Voice:Saturday night there it was. Slate:Boys Beware(1961) Public Service Announcement. I just thought you had to get through this, and I thought I could get through it, but you really had to be smart about it. The music was great, cafes were good, you know, the coffee houses were good. Hugh Bush Eric Marcus, Writer:The Mattachine Society was the first gay rights organization, and they literally met in a space with the blinds drawn. She was awarded the first ever Emmy Award for Research for her groundbreaking work on Before Stonewall. Narrator (Archival):We arrested homosexuals who committed their lewd acts in public places. Revisiting 'Before Stonewall' Film for the 50th Anniversary | Time Gay bars were always on side streets out of the way in neighborhoods that nobody would go into. WGBH Educational Foundation Martin Boyce:I wasn't labeled gay, just "different." A word that would be used in the 1960s for gay men and lesbians. There was all these drags queens and these crazy people and everybody was carrying on. That was scary, very scary. It was nonsense, it was nonsense, it was all the people there, that were reacting and opposing what was occurring. In the Life And the people coming out weren't going along with it so easily. That wasn't ours, it was borrowed. This time they said, "We're not going." Slate:Perversion for Profit(1965), Citizens for Decency Through Law. Linton Media Fred Sargeant:The effect of the Stonewall riot was to change the direction of the gay movement. Documentary | Stonewall Forever This documentary uses extensive archival film, movie clips . They are taught that no man is born homosexual and many psychiatrists now believe that homosexuality begins to form in the first three years of life. I hope it was. David Carter, Author ofStonewall:There was also vigilantism, people were using walkie-talkies to coordinate attacks on gay men. 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. It's the first time I'm fully inside the Stonewall. Before Stonewall (1984) - Plot Summary - IMDb They would not always just arrest, they would many times use clubs and beat. They were afraid that the FBI was following them. 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? ITN Source I really thought that, you know, we did it. Is that conceivable? And the police escalated their crackdown on bars because of the reelection campaign. Diana Davies Photographs, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community But I gave it up about, oh I forget, some years ago, over four years ago. Greg Shea, Legal Geordie, Liam and Theo Gude 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. Now, 50 years later, the film is back. Hunted, hunted, sometimes we were hunted. Fred Sargeant:The press did refer to it in very pejorative terms, as a night that the drag queens fought back. In 1924, the first gay rights organization is founded by Henry Gerber in Chicago. I had never seen anything like that. Dick Leitsch:And that's when you started seeing like, bodies laying on the sidewalk, people bleeding from the head. Because if they weren't there fast, I was worried that there was something going on that I didn't know about and they weren't gonna come. It was as bad as any situation that I had met in during the army, had just as much to worry about. And it was fantastic. They'd think I'm a cop even though I had a big Jew-fro haircut and a big handlebar mustache at the time. Not able to do anything. Kanopy - Stream Classic Cinema, Indie Film and Top Documentaries Things were just changing. It was done in our little street talk. Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community (Newly One was the 1845 statute that made it a crime in the state to masquerade. Kanopy - Stream Classic Cinema, Indie Film and Top Documentaries . I am not alone, there are other people that feel exactly the same way.". Dick Leitsch:Mattachino in Italy were court jesters; the only people in the whole kingdom who could speak truth to the king because they did it with a smile. I would wait until there was nobody left to be the girl and then I would be the girl. It was an age of experimentation. They were not used to a bunch of drag queens doing a Rockettes kick line and sort of like giving them all the finger in a way. We were all there. Howard Smith, Reporter,The Village Voice:And by the time the police would come back towards Stonewall, that crowd had gone all the around Washington Place come all the way back around and were back pushing in on them from the other direction and the police would wonder, "These are the same people or different people?". The Stonewall had reopened. We went, "Oh my God. I guess they're deviates. J. Michael Grey Few photographs of the raid and the riots that followed exist. The windows were always cloaked. Danny Garvin:And the cops just charged them. Howard Smith, Reporter,The Village Voice:It really should have been called Stonewall uprising. For the first time the next person stood up. Quentin Heilbroner Raymond Castro:If that light goes on, you know to stop whatever you're doing, and separate. We had been threatened bomb threats. It was not a place that, in my life, me and my friends paid much attention to. Katrina Heilbroner Danny Garvin:Everybody would just freeze or clam up. And all of a sudden, pandemonium broke loose. Ed Koch, Councilman, New York City:Gay rights, like the rights of blacks, were constantly under attack and while blacks were protected by constitutional amendments coming out of the Civil War, gays were not protected by law and certainly not the Constitution. Lucian Truscott, IV, Reporter,The Village Voice:And then the next night. 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. Tommy Lanigan-Schmidt:The police would zero in on us because sometimes they would be in plain clothes, and sometimes they would even entrap. Jerry Hoose:I remember I was in a paddy wagon one time on the way to jail, we were all locked up together on a chain in the paddy wagon and the paddy wagon stopped for a red light or something and one of the queens said "Oh, this is my stop."

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