In the early morning of June 28, 1969 a pivotal event in history occurred on Christopher Street in the bustling city of New York. The Stonewall Inn was known for its “risqué” activities such as selling alcohol to homosexuals, allowing men and women to wear clothing of the other gender, and even allowing homosexual patrons to dance with each other, which all were illegal at the time. Being no stranger to police raids, this night was much like the rest at the Stonewall. The police turned the lights on, checked everyone’s I.D., arrested some folks, and the night went on.
But this night was different; among the people arrested was Stormé DeLarverie, a well-known drag king, who has been said to be the one that helped spark the riots, shouting for action as she was beaten and shoved into the police car. Sylvia Rivera, a 17-year-old drag queen is said to have thrown the first bottle as patrons of the bar were being escorted out, rightfully angered by the mistreatment that had always befallen them.
Marsha P. Johnson, a brave trans woman who was said to be involved in the entire fight, was relentless in her actions to stop this harassment. With just this simple summary of the night, it is easy to see the differences in the true events, and those of the recently released film "Stonewall," directed by Roland Emmerich.
Among the very many historical errors in this film, in just the trailer we see a young white man portrayed as the first person in the crowd to throw a brick! Where are the people of color in this film? Where are some of the most important people to the LGBTQ movement? Why does this Emmerich, a privileged white male, get to decide whose history gets to be erased in this film?
More importantly, why does Emmerich think he can make this movie and not have it be historically accurate? When I think of the Stonewall riots and the symbolic meaning of who threw the first brick, it reminds me of America’s great story of the "shot the was heard around the world." It is a monumentally important action that sparked the events that led to the better treatment of the LGBTQ community. So important that a movie that is telling the story of this night should have chosen to focus on the real people that actually made a difference in this world rather than base it on a fictional character that Emmerich confessed was used in order for the audience to better connect to.
Does Emmerich even have the authority to decide what people will sympathize with better? I think not. For a movie that was aimed at all of the public, Emmerich should have known that not only the LGBTQ community, but the public at large would expect a film that represented what it was really like for the people involved that night in 1969.
People around the world are noticing the unfair treatment of racial minorities and the LGBTQ community that is still happening after all these years, and how does this film commemorate that fight? By whitewashing the cast and fabricating a false story. Yes, it is just a film, but it is a film that could teach the public about an event that is pivotal to American history, an event no one really knows about. Even I didn’t know of this history until I was lucky enough to visit the Stonewall Inn and even meet the owner. From my time there, I could sense that this place was the stuff of legend, and something that should be correctly portrayed if the story is told.
The movie is already released and there is nothing we can do to change the movie now, but it is important that we spread the true story of the event, and highlight those who actually started the event that sparked the famous pride parades that are celebrated every year. There is a petition made to “Boycott Stonewall” that has 24,783 signatures to date. I challenge everyone to share their memories of Stonewall to create a real history of this event that is already not documented enough. I challenge people to learn the real history of events, not rely on movies to tell them what happened. This is not a subject that should be taken lightly, it is history, and if we do not learn from it, then it is doomed to repeat itself.
