An in-depth treatment of the gay liberation movement from its early beginnings, when it was internally referred to as the homophile movement by many of the mostly conservative gay men behind it, to the transformative moment in 1969 when violence erupted at a mob-run gay bar in the West Village of NYC known as The Stonewall Inn, bringing on a "generational, organizational and ideological shift". The author profiles six individuals through the 1960s and 1970s, whose "stories were different enough to suggest the diversity of gay and lesbian lives, yet interconnected enough to...suggest some of the ...values, perceptions and concerns that centrally characterized the Stonewall generation." This is an important work, obviously painstakingly researched, but I confess I found it slightly weedy reading in parts because of the scrupulous detail included about the multitude of gay rights organizations and publications that came and went, the lack of leadership and the counterproductive in-fighting that made a cohesive national movement so difficult to create for so long. Even after the Stonewall riots seemingly gave moderates and radicals a common goal, consensus as to "message" was as difficult to attain for the LGBTQ "community" as it has proven to be for many other marginalized groups throughout history. The personal stories of the troubled teenager, the African-American jazz club junkie, the buttoned-down wealthy celibate, the Barnard graduate feminist, the transvestite hustler, and the Yippie Vietnam war protestor kept me reading (although I did skim from time to time). Originally published in 1992, my 2019 edition contained a new introduction by the author as well as an epilogue with updates on the lives of his subjects, 4 of whom have died since the book first appeared. ( )

Good stuff. Sylvia Rivera's bits especially interesting. Funny how the trans lib movement has reclaimed the Stonewall riots as an action mostly by gender deviants and outlaws to the extent that some actually make Sylvia out to be a trans woman. I'm not sure if her identification changed over time, but at least when she was interviewed for this book she talks about taking a stab at hormones and deciding to go off them because she was more of a genderfuck (my words) than a woman.

Got it from the used book store; definitely worthwhile, although I don't know why it took me so long to finish the last chapter! ( )

history, activism, gay rights, STAR, transgender, gay, lesbian

An excellent history surrounding the movement, centering the people we don't customarily celebrate, but who perhaps had the most driving & organizing power. It is a familiar tale in many respects, but doesn't get too wrapped up in any one story and weaves together all the events in a wonderful way and gives excellent background and context to all. ( )

A really well-researched and interesting portrayal of the gay rights movement in the United States. A great read for anyone interested in social movements of the 1960s. ( )