Commentary: A milestone, not a starting point
by Linda Hirshman, Los Angeles Times
Jun 20, 2019
4 minutes
When police raided gay bars back in the day, they expected the patrons to scatter. But one hot Friday night 50 years ago, at the Stonewall Inn, no one was going anywhere. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, old, young - they booed and jeered as the cops walked their prey out of the bar. Kids across the street started throwing pennies, then bricks. Finally, the riot squad was called in, and even they couldn't clear the streets.
Martin Boyce remembers sitting on his stoop the next day, exhausted from the melee. "My God, we're going to pay so desperately for this,"
You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.
Start your free 30 days