Stonewall A Documentary About The Lgbt Community Essay

Before Stonewall, a documentary about the experiences of the gay community leading up to the riots at Stonewall, opens with anecdotes from the LGBTQ community about their past experiences. One woman recalled that when she was young she only knew that she should not talk about her sexual orientation and she knew to hide it. The LGBTQ community felt suppressing their feelings was the only choice due to the high risk of ruining their own and others lives if they did come out. For instance, a woman names Donna Smith was picked up off the street by a police officer and put in an insane asylum at the request of her mother. These feelings and experiences were representative of what it was like for most of the LGBTQ community before the events at Stonewall in 1969. The 1920s was a time of economic prosperity. There was an increase of population in cities, and while most gay people continued to live in isolation and secrecy, some started to form small communities in neighborhoods such as Greenwich Village and in parts of San Francisco. Here, freer social norms allowed for a homosexual underground which included many bars and parties. People often looked up to musical artists, such as Gladys Bentley, and writers, such as Langston Hughes and Gertrude Stein. These people among many others helped bring the community together and helped to challenge social norms. In the 1930s, the Great Depression caused much social unrest. This resulted in riots in Harlem and LGBTQ unions fighting forShow MoreRelatedWhy Should We Make Decisions On Experiences That They Themselves?1697 Words   |  7 Pagesable to make decisions on experiences that they themselves could not understand. This really raised a lot of questions to me about who is in power and how big of a problem it is the those in power are not more diverse. We have struggled in society and have â€Å"imprisoned so many behind stone walls of racism, sexism, and homophobia† (Rudacille 140). It also raised awareness that the very same acts done by heterosexual couples were acceptable, and not punishable in the confines of the home, but thatRead MoreThe Cultural Identity Of The African American Community1653 Words   |  7 PagesThe African American community has sat at the end of a discriminatory lens from the moment they set foot in the United States. For that reason, black communities have undergone the process of community building to ensure that all members feel a sense of belonging. Race, gender, nationality, ethnicity, poverty, and sexual orientation, all play a role in developing one’s identity and more often than not, these multiple identities intersect with blackness. Being that American society has deemed coloredRead MoreSocial And Political Movements Of Queer Art1924 Words   |  8 Pagesalways learn the history and society from the works of art during a specific time period. The certain topic and style of art could be produced under different social environment. You will never understand what does the impressionist painting depict about without knowing the social context in France during 1870s and 1880s. Also the Age of Enlightenment in 18th century, many brilliant works of art, like neoclassicism, depicted the economics, music and physics that developed during scientific revolution