Accessibility links
Before Stonewall : Throughline Fifty years ago, a gay bar in New York City called The Stonewall Inn was raided by police, and what followed were days of rebellion where protesters and police clashed. Today, that event is seen as the start of the gay civil rights movement, but gay activists and organizations were standing up to harassment and discrimination years before. On this episode, the fight for gay rights before Stonewall.

Throughline

Before Stonewall

Before Stonewall

Listen · 38:08
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/736268853/1200557287" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
  • A gay rights march in New York in favor of the 1968 Civil Rights Act being amended to include gay rights.
    A gay rights march in New York in favor of the 1968 Civil Rights Act being amended to include gay rights.
    Peter Keegan/Getty Images
  • A New York Police officer grabs a man by the hair as another officer clubs a man during a confrontation in Greenwich Village after a Gay Power march in New York. A year earlier, young gays, lesbians and transgender people clashed with police near a bar called The Stonewall Inn.
    A New York Police officer grabs a man by the hair as another officer clubs a man during a confrontation in Greenwich Village after a Gay Power march in New York. A year earlier, young gays, lesbians and transgender people clashed with police near a bar called The Stonewall Inn.
    AP
  • A person marching in a gay rights parade along New York's Fifth Avenue on July 7th, 1979.
    A person marching in a gay rights parade along New York's Fifth Avenue on July 7th, 1979.
    Brian Alpert/Getty Images
  • Former U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with gay rights activist Frank Kameny after signing a memorandum on federal benefits and non-discrimination in the Oval Office on June 17, 2009. Obama signed the memorandum to extend benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.
    Former U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with gay rights activist Frank Kameny after signing a memorandum on federal benefits and non-discrimination in the Oval Office on June 17, 2009. Obama signed the memorandum to extend benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.
    Alex Wong/Getty Images
  • People cheer while standing in front of The Stonewall Inn as the annual Gay Pride parade passes, Sunday, June 26, 2011 in New York. One of the world's oldest and largest gay pride parades became a victory celebration after New York's historic decision to legalize same-sex marriage.
    People cheer while standing in front of The Stonewall Inn as the annual Gay Pride parade passes, Sunday, June 26, 2011 in New York. One of the world's oldest and largest gay pride parades became a victory celebration after New York's historic decision to legalize same-sex marriage.
    Mark Lennihan/Associated Press

1 of 5

Fifty years ago, a gay bar in New York City called The Stonewall Inn was raided by police, and what followed were days of rebellion where protesters and police clashed. Today, that event is seen as the start of the gay civil rights movement, but gay activists and organizations were standing up to harassment and discrimination years before. On this episode, the fight for gay rights before Stonewall.

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.

We love to hear from our listeners! Tweet at us @throughlineNPR, send us an email, or leave us a voicemail at (872) 588-8805.