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The Stonewall Reader
For the fiftieth anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, an anthology chronicling the tumultuous fight for LGBTQ rights in the 1960s and the activists who spearheaded it
June 28, 2019 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Stonewall uprising - the most significant event in the gay liberation movement and the catalyst for the modern fight for LGBTQ rights in the United States. Drawing from the New York Public Library's archives, The Stonewall Reader is a collection of firsthand accounts, diaries, periodic literature and articles from LGBTQ magazines and newspapers that documented both the years leading up to and the years following the riots. Most importantly, this anthology shines a light on forgotten figures who were pivotal in the movement, such as Lee Brewster, head of the Queens Liberation Front and Ernestine Eckstine, one of the few out, African American, lesbian activists in the 1960s.
June 28, 2019 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Stonewall uprising - the most significant event in the gay liberation movement and the catalyst for the modern fight for LGBTQ rights in the United States. Drawing from the New York Public Library's archives, The Stonewall Reader is a collection of firsthand accounts, diaries, periodic literature and articles from LGBTQ magazines and newspapers that documented both the years leading up to and the years following the riots. Most importantly, this anthology shines a light on forgotten figures who were pivotal in the movement, such as Lee Brewster, head of the Queens Liberation Front and Ernestine Eckstine, one of the few out, African American, lesbian activists in the 1960s.
305 pages, Paperback
First published April 30, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 576 reviews
May 24, 2019
Would definitely recommend the audiobook if you plan on reading this because you'll get to hear a lot of the interviews from their original recordings.
I'm glad I listened to this right before Pride month because let me tell you I am now ready to start a revolution. As someone who's read a lot of academic work about Stonewall in the past nothing in this book was particularly new or eye-opening for me, but it's always nice to hear directly from primary sources. If you're someone who's newer to queer history this could be a good one to pick up because it pulls from a wide range of sources and viewpoints surrounding the event.
I'm glad I listened to this right before Pride month because let me tell you I am now ready to start a revolution. As someone who's read a lot of academic work about Stonewall in the past nothing in this book was particularly new or eye-opening for me, but it's always nice to hear directly from primary sources. If you're someone who's newer to queer history this could be a good one to pick up because it pulls from a wide range of sources and viewpoints surrounding the event.
July 19, 2019
When I was at school, I loved history as a subject. The orderly progression of dates and facts pointed to a linear and well-oiled world that moved forward smoothly and confidently. It was only much later in university that I began to be equipped intellectually to even to begin to question the tacit assumptions underlying the most basic tenets of historical fact.
Dates are important because they act as markers of important events; the biggest problem is that these events subsequently become unmoored from their historical context, and assume a life and significance all of their own – and frequently totally out of proportion to the event itself. One of these dates is 28 June 1969. The event: the Stonewall Riots.
What amazed me about this anthology from The New York Library is how extensive its collection is. A lot of the material is interview recordings, many transcribed here for the very first time. And the people given voice to, by and large, are the ordinary citizens either caught up directly in the event itself, or caught up on its margins.
This adds an extraordinary immediacy and life to the event that no matter-of-fact historical account can ever hope to achieve. Long portrayed as the true beginning of gay liberation, the people on the firing line at Stonewall were some of gay culture’s most marginalised figures, such as drag queens and hustlers. People who, literally, had nothing to lose.
This at a time when invisibility was a much sought-after goal of gay assimilation. Many gays at the time were horrified that the Stonewall rioters had dared sullied their good name, thereby threatening their reputations and, most likely, livelihoods.
Given all that has been written and recorded about Stonewall, a lot of its fundamental details have been so enshrouded in mythic significance or cultural reification as to have been, weirdly enough, become unstuck in time, like the narrator in Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut.
Who threw the first object, and what was it exactly? What is the precise definition of a ‘riot’, and can Stonewall even be called that if it went on for several nights? Exactly how many people were involved? How many were hurt or affected? Why did the queens throw pennies at the police?
[This anthology is at pains to point out that Stonewall was by no means the first gay uprising of its kind; it is just the one that History has afforded that iconic status to].
What this admirable anthology demonstrates so clearly is that the truest form of history is a chorus of voices. Not an echo necessarily, but an interweaving of multiple strands of experience. Here the precise facts themselves do not matter so much, in the end.
This anthology is the closest that one can get to the mindset of Stonewall itself, I think, both before and after the event. It also shines a rather uncomfortable spotlight on the current state of gay politics, which is still struggling to articulate its truest form of historical significance.
Dates are important because they act as markers of important events; the biggest problem is that these events subsequently become unmoored from their historical context, and assume a life and significance all of their own – and frequently totally out of proportion to the event itself. One of these dates is 28 June 1969. The event: the Stonewall Riots.
What amazed me about this anthology from The New York Library is how extensive its collection is. A lot of the material is interview recordings, many transcribed here for the very first time. And the people given voice to, by and large, are the ordinary citizens either caught up directly in the event itself, or caught up on its margins.
This adds an extraordinary immediacy and life to the event that no matter-of-fact historical account can ever hope to achieve. Long portrayed as the true beginning of gay liberation, the people on the firing line at Stonewall were some of gay culture’s most marginalised figures, such as drag queens and hustlers. People who, literally, had nothing to lose.
This at a time when invisibility was a much sought-after goal of gay assimilation. Many gays at the time were horrified that the Stonewall rioters had dared sullied their good name, thereby threatening their reputations and, most likely, livelihoods.
Given all that has been written and recorded about Stonewall, a lot of its fundamental details have been so enshrouded in mythic significance or cultural reification as to have been, weirdly enough, become unstuck in time, like the narrator in Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut.
Who threw the first object, and what was it exactly? What is the precise definition of a ‘riot’, and can Stonewall even be called that if it went on for several nights? Exactly how many people were involved? How many were hurt or affected? Why did the queens throw pennies at the police?
[This anthology is at pains to point out that Stonewall was by no means the first gay uprising of its kind; it is just the one that History has afforded that iconic status to].
What this admirable anthology demonstrates so clearly is that the truest form of history is a chorus of voices. Not an echo necessarily, but an interweaving of multiple strands of experience. Here the precise facts themselves do not matter so much, in the end.
This anthology is the closest that one can get to the mindset of Stonewall itself, I think, both before and after the event. It also shines a rather uncomfortable spotlight on the current state of gay politics, which is still struggling to articulate its truest form of historical significance.
July 1, 2020
The Stonewall Reader Audible Audiobook – Unabridged
New York Public Library (Author), Edmund White (Author), full cast (Narrator), Penguin Audio (Publisher)
New York Public Library (Author), Edmund White (Author), full cast (Narrator), Penguin Audio (Publisher)
June 5, 2020
on the whole, i really enjoyed reading first person accounts of it all, but some left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth tbqh
e.g. franklin kameny's letters in which he claimed gay folk had it worse than black folk in a country that was still vastly segregated (yeah, i see the value of admitting that the lgbt rights movement was not free of racism, but it felt a little odd not to even comment on it, and especially following choosing audre lorde to open the book, who talks about the intersection of her identities as a black lesbian, and if you really wanted to do that, a number of the authors talked about the intersectionality of the movement, you didn't need to include the racist bit)
e.g. edmund white, in the intro where he claimed that he was less accepted as a gay writer, and toni morrison and philip roth were "universal writers" [Even today well-meaning heterosexuals lament that I’m considered a “gay author.” (Would they be equally shocked by a Jewish or African American writer? Oh, no, sorry. Philip Roth and Toni Morrison are “universal” authors.)]. also looking him up, and finding out there was a LOT of incest in his family, and he wrote a sexual relationship between a 15 y/o and a 12 y/o (personal feelings i know)
e.g. franklin kameny's letters in which he claimed gay folk had it worse than black folk in a country that was still vastly segregated (yeah, i see the value of admitting that the lgbt rights movement was not free of racism, but it felt a little odd not to even comment on it, and especially following choosing audre lorde to open the book, who talks about the intersection of her identities as a black lesbian, and if you really wanted to do that, a number of the authors talked about the intersectionality of the movement, you didn't need to include the racist bit)
e.g. edmund white, in the intro where he claimed that he was less accepted as a gay writer, and toni morrison and philip roth were "universal writers" [Even today well-meaning heterosexuals lament that I’m considered a “gay author.” (Would they be equally shocked by a Jewish or African American writer? Oh, no, sorry. Philip Roth and Toni Morrison are “universal” authors.)]. also looking him up, and finding out there was a LOT of incest in his family, and he wrote a sexual relationship between a 15 y/o and a 12 y/o (personal feelings i know)
June 27, 2024
I am a huge fan of queer history, particularly when documented through personal narrative. So, really, how could I not love this book? It’s historical perfection.
The book is divided into 3 parts - before Stonewall, during Stonewall, and after Stonewall. I found the before and during portions to be the most captivating - how, despite the odds, queer folks were organizing and telling their stories even before the “hairpin drop heard around the world.” There’s just so much rich history there and so many lessons to learn.
BEFORE: No surprise here - I found Audre Lorde’s essay about navigating NYC as a queer Black woman in the 1960s to be especially great, and the excerpt from John Rechy’s “City of Night” is a must (honestly, you should read his entire autobiographical novel if you haven’t yet). But bar none, Judy Grahn’s entry “The Psychoanalysis of Edward the Dyke” was my favorite, perhaps of the entire book; it’s a sarcastic, fictional short story about a queer woman’s visit to her therapist that was downright hilarious.
DURING: The interviews with Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Miss Major Griffin-Gracy shouldn’t be skipped; their stories are queer canon, period, and are absolutely vital when it comes to depicting our movement’s defining events. I also found the contrast between Howard Smith and Lucian Truscott IV accounts to be super compelling. Both were journalists who reported on the first night of the Stonewall Riots, from inside and outside the bar, respectively. Although their tone can be patronizing and borderline offensive (which honestly isn’t surprising as it was 1969 and both were straight, cis men who were witnessing something completely foreign to their personal perspectives), I found their accounts to be really compelling.
AFTER: Rev. Troy Perry’s entry, which includes a description of the groups present at the first Gay Liberation Day march in LA in 1970, is super interesting. Though it shouldn’t come as a surprise, it was amusing to learn that even then, nearly 50 years ago, there were divisions within the community over who should or shouldn’t be allowed to participate in Pride (apparently there was a “Homosexuals for Ronald Reagan” group from Orange County that, to no surprise, wasn’t especially well-received). It goes to show that some things haven’t changed much even after 50 years. I guess that’s just how families are.
In short, I absolutely loved this book. Though I highlighted a few favorites here, all the essays in this collection are incredibly good, and each one offers a pivotal lens on an event and time in queer history that we’d all do well to learn more about. I consider this book a must-read, one we should come back to every Pride season.
The book is divided into 3 parts - before Stonewall, during Stonewall, and after Stonewall. I found the before and during portions to be the most captivating - how, despite the odds, queer folks were organizing and telling their stories even before the “hairpin drop heard around the world.” There’s just so much rich history there and so many lessons to learn.
BEFORE: No surprise here - I found Audre Lorde’s essay about navigating NYC as a queer Black woman in the 1960s to be especially great, and the excerpt from John Rechy’s “City of Night” is a must (honestly, you should read his entire autobiographical novel if you haven’t yet). But bar none, Judy Grahn’s entry “The Psychoanalysis of Edward the Dyke” was my favorite, perhaps of the entire book; it’s a sarcastic, fictional short story about a queer woman’s visit to her therapist that was downright hilarious.
DURING: The interviews with Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Miss Major Griffin-Gracy shouldn’t be skipped; their stories are queer canon, period, and are absolutely vital when it comes to depicting our movement’s defining events. I also found the contrast between Howard Smith and Lucian Truscott IV accounts to be super compelling. Both were journalists who reported on the first night of the Stonewall Riots, from inside and outside the bar, respectively. Although their tone can be patronizing and borderline offensive (which honestly isn’t surprising as it was 1969 and both were straight, cis men who were witnessing something completely foreign to their personal perspectives), I found their accounts to be really compelling.
AFTER: Rev. Troy Perry’s entry, which includes a description of the groups present at the first Gay Liberation Day march in LA in 1970, is super interesting. Though it shouldn’t come as a surprise, it was amusing to learn that even then, nearly 50 years ago, there were divisions within the community over who should or shouldn’t be allowed to participate in Pride (apparently there was a “Homosexuals for Ronald Reagan” group from Orange County that, to no surprise, wasn’t especially well-received). It goes to show that some things haven’t changed much even after 50 years. I guess that’s just how families are.
In short, I absolutely loved this book. Though I highlighted a few favorites here, all the essays in this collection are incredibly good, and each one offers a pivotal lens on an event and time in queer history that we’d all do well to learn more about. I consider this book a must-read, one we should come back to every Pride season.
Read
October 10, 2022meant to read this 3 months ago for Pride but any time’s a good time to read about lgtbq history!
short rtc (no rating)
short rtc (no rating)
June 15, 2020
Anthologies are really hard to rate because there are so many different authors & texts, but ultimately am landing on 5 stars because I found that this book taught me a lot. I appreciated the diverse perspectives, from Black folks & other people of color in the movement, from Drag Queens, & Trans folks, and both gay men & lesbians. They made a clear effort to avoid continuing the whitewashing of the Stonewall Riots & early aughts of queer liberation. They didn’t shy away from the problematic nature of folks within the movement as well, depicting documents where members of the movement were racist, sexist, and transphobic. This anthology looks at Stonewall & the ensuing fight for liberation, clearly & critically, shying away from a rose colored view. Worth the read on a history I (and I’d venture to say many of us) never learned.
December 24, 2021
This anthology was absolutely incredible. My scope of understanding of Stonewall, gay history, and gay liberation has been expanded so much from this extremely accessible collection of gay recorded histories and points of view. I’ve gained such a wider perspective of the Stonewall event itself from first hand accounts collected from archives and other sources. I recommend the audio, as it contains a huge rotating cast and original interviews, my favorite of which were separate ones with Sylvia Rivera & Marsha P. Johnson.
June 3, 2019
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) of this book. If you only read one book this Pride season (Stonewall 50), let it be the amazing stories in The Stonewall Reader edited by Jason Baumann (NYPL). This is the real deal. Primary source material on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender heroes before, during, and after Stonewall. Each chapter is an essay or a piece of a chapter or interview. So even slow readers like me make progress quickly. Every voice is strong, powerful, and diverse. Outstanding selections from Baumann and Ed White. We already have The Stonewall Reader in our library's collection. Must-have. Must-read.
June 20, 2024
It's obviously unrealistic to learn and know every single queer person's individual history, but this book made me crave that knowledge like I've never experienced before. From an intimate account of a gay choir teacher in the 1940's, to one drag queen's eyewitness retelling of Stonewall, to a Black lesbian's experience finding love and community in college in the 1970's/80's, and onward, I want to know it all
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June 10, 2019No star rating because it's an anthology!
LGBTQ history is not something I was taught in school, and it’s only through reading THE STONEWALL READER that I’ve discovered my hunger for learning more about the movements that fought for the rights & freedoms I enjoy today.
Chronicling LGBTQ history faces many challenges - the HIV/AIDS crisis that decimated our community, copyright questions of gay & lesbian zines (the primary source of spreading knowledge & discussing queer identity before the internet), and the fact that history is always written by the victor. White, cis gay men have always been the primary face of the LGBTQ movements, obscuring the countless contributions of queer people of color, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender folks. THE STONEWALL READER attempts to rectify that - though whether they are successful in their attempt is open for debate.
This anthology is split up into 3 sections - Before Stonewall, During Stonewall, and After Stonewall. I read through the first section very slowly, but reading during & after was thrilling, empowering & informative. History is confusing - there can be multiple, contradictory truths from witnesses who were at the same event, and by creating this collection - rather than writing a history book - the @nypl & @penguinclassics are holding space for all those truths of queer experience, queer history & queer radical agendas. I’m so grateful I read this book & excited to continue educating myself about LGBTQ history - this Pride month & beyond
LGBTQ history is not something I was taught in school, and it’s only through reading THE STONEWALL READER that I’ve discovered my hunger for learning more about the movements that fought for the rights & freedoms I enjoy today.
Chronicling LGBTQ history faces many challenges - the HIV/AIDS crisis that decimated our community, copyright questions of gay & lesbian zines (the primary source of spreading knowledge & discussing queer identity before the internet), and the fact that history is always written by the victor. White, cis gay men have always been the primary face of the LGBTQ movements, obscuring the countless contributions of queer people of color, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender folks. THE STONEWALL READER attempts to rectify that - though whether they are successful in their attempt is open for debate.
This anthology is split up into 3 sections - Before Stonewall, During Stonewall, and After Stonewall. I read through the first section very slowly, but reading during & after was thrilling, empowering & informative. History is confusing - there can be multiple, contradictory truths from witnesses who were at the same event, and by creating this collection - rather than writing a history book - the @nypl & @penguinclassics are holding space for all those truths of queer experience, queer history & queer radical agendas. I’m so grateful I read this book & excited to continue educating myself about LGBTQ history - this Pride month & beyond
June 22, 2021
4.25|5
¨ Book Riots 2021 Read Harder Challenge - 4. Read an LGBTQ+ history book ¨
¨ Book Riots 2021 Read Harder Challenge - 4. Read an LGBTQ+ history book ¨
June 13, 2019
THE STONEWALL READER is an anthology that draws from the New York City Public Library’s archive of personal accounts, interviews, and publications by and about folks involved with the LGBTQ movement before, during, and after the Stonewall riots.
This book small, but it’s packed with invaluable information and insights from folks on the front lines of gay liberation. I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about queer history and still there were events, groups, and people I didn’t know about featured here.
I really appreciated the broad scope of included voices. This is not a book that puts wealthy cis white men at the center of the story. It spotlights the contributions of people of color, drag queens and trans people. It also openly discusses racism and bigotry within the movement in a way we often try to erase, especially during Pride month.
This book showed me how much things have changed, but also how much they stay the same. No one today would be unable to find a gay bar in NYC, but it’s still hard for trans people to access healthcare. One step forward, two steps back.
This book small, but it’s packed with invaluable information and insights from folks on the front lines of gay liberation. I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about queer history and still there were events, groups, and people I didn’t know about featured here.
I really appreciated the broad scope of included voices. This is not a book that puts wealthy cis white men at the center of the story. It spotlights the contributions of people of color, drag queens and trans people. It also openly discusses racism and bigotry within the movement in a way we often try to erase, especially during Pride month.
This book showed me how much things have changed, but also how much they stay the same. No one today would be unable to find a gay bar in NYC, but it’s still hard for trans people to access healthcare. One step forward, two steps back.
August 4, 2023
required reading for everyone with a pulse.
December 15, 2023
This is a book that has immense historical value, but I had a very hard time paying attention to it. Partly, this is due to my own expectations, and partly due to the format.
I was expecting a book mostly about the actual events of Stonewall itself, first of all. That's not really what this is. Only about a third of it focuses on the actual riots, the middle section. The first section focuses on pre-Stonewall writings by queer authors, and the final third does the same except with the new perspective the events of Stonewall lent the queer community. This is obviously a smart way to structure the book, but I really did go in just wanting something mainly about those three nights, and maybe some historical context leading up and some effects after.
Mostly, though, I had a hard time paying attention to this for the same reason I always have a hard time paying attention to essay or story collections, and that's that there isn't a narrative through-line, and you essentially start over with every new piece of writing. The middle section concentrating on Stonewall itself didn't really have that problem, and it was the most interesting part of the book for me, seeing so many different perspectives and memories on the same events. But especially in the first section, I had a hard time latching on because each essay was also mostly a part of a bigger whole, like a book or memoir, that I didn't have available to me.
Overall, though, this is an eye-opening collection of primary historical documents about why exactly Stonewall was so important, and queer movements and activists leading up to and afterwards. I found myself constantly googling people and events as they were talked about, and went down many wormholes that also distracted me from finishing the book. Mostly what this book did is make me want to seek out further information, perhaps in a more cohesive narrative format, about this time in history.
[3.5 stars, rounded up]
Read Harder Challenge 2021: Read an LGBTQ+ history book.
I was expecting a book mostly about the actual events of Stonewall itself, first of all. That's not really what this is. Only about a third of it focuses on the actual riots, the middle section. The first section focuses on pre-Stonewall writings by queer authors, and the final third does the same except with the new perspective the events of Stonewall lent the queer community. This is obviously a smart way to structure the book, but I really did go in just wanting something mainly about those three nights, and maybe some historical context leading up and some effects after.
Mostly, though, I had a hard time paying attention to this for the same reason I always have a hard time paying attention to essay or story collections, and that's that there isn't a narrative through-line, and you essentially start over with every new piece of writing. The middle section concentrating on Stonewall itself didn't really have that problem, and it was the most interesting part of the book for me, seeing so many different perspectives and memories on the same events. But especially in the first section, I had a hard time latching on because each essay was also mostly a part of a bigger whole, like a book or memoir, that I didn't have available to me.
Overall, though, this is an eye-opening collection of primary historical documents about why exactly Stonewall was so important, and queer movements and activists leading up to and afterwards. I found myself constantly googling people and events as they were talked about, and went down many wormholes that also distracted me from finishing the book. Mostly what this book did is make me want to seek out further information, perhaps in a more cohesive narrative format, about this time in history.
“No matter that we were defending a Mafia club. The Stonewall was a symbol, just as the leveling of the Bastille had been. No matter that only six prisoners had been in the Bastille and one of those was Sade, who clearly deserved being locked up. No one chooses the right symbolic occasion; one takes what’s available.”
[3.5 stars, rounded up]
Read Harder Challenge 2021: Read an LGBTQ+ history book.
April 4, 2021
Listening to the audiobook version was a joy (I highly recommend this format). The collection is divided into three sections: Before, During, and After Stonewall. The scope is focused from the 1950s to late 1970s in New York City (though prior actions like Compton's Cafeteria Riot in San Francisco and the sit-ins at Dewey's Restaurant in Philadelphia are acknowledged). There is a small cast of narrators who read excepts of writing from these years, and also several oral history interviews. Listening as the narrators and interviewees expressed different emotions while sharing the stories added to the experience (and reminded me that I should listen to more audiobooks!).
The collection included some writers and activists I was familiar with, and introduced me to even more whose work I'll seek out next. Some of the works I especially enjoyed were:
Excepts from Zami: A New Spelling of My Name, Audre Lorde
Excepts from The Motion of Light in Water, Samuel R. Delaney
Excepts from And Then I Danced, Mark Segal
Interviews with Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Morty Manford by Eric Marcus
Interview with Miss Major Griffin-Gacey, New York City Trans Oral History Project, by Abram J. Lewis
Gay Is Good, Martha Shelley
Interview with Kiyoshi Kuromiya, Philadelphia LGBT History Project, by Marc Stein
Growing Up Black and Gay, Joel Hall
Bitch! Dyke! Faghag! Whore!, Penny Arcade
Excepts from Witchcraft and the Gay Counterculture, Arthur Evans
I Am a Lesbian, Chirlane McCray
The collection included some writers and activists I was familiar with, and introduced me to even more whose work I'll seek out next. Some of the works I especially enjoyed were:
Excepts from Zami: A New Spelling of My Name, Audre Lorde
Excepts from The Motion of Light in Water, Samuel R. Delaney
Excepts from And Then I Danced, Mark Segal
Interviews with Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Morty Manford by Eric Marcus
Interview with Miss Major Griffin-Gacey, New York City Trans Oral History Project, by Abram J. Lewis
Gay Is Good, Martha Shelley
Interview with Kiyoshi Kuromiya, Philadelphia LGBT History Project, by Marc Stein
Growing Up Black and Gay, Joel Hall
Bitch! Dyke! Faghag! Whore!, Penny Arcade
Excepts from Witchcraft and the Gay Counterculture, Arthur Evans
I Am a Lesbian, Chirlane McCray
July 23, 2025
Really good book - taught me heaps of new slurs x
June 13, 2019
"As the strong women explained winning, the faggots were surprised and then excited. The faggots knew about surviving for they had always had and this was going to be just plain better. That made ass-kicking different. Getting your ass kicked and then winning elevated the entire enterprise of making revolution."
This book has made me sad, and this book has made me strong. It has made me sad to see that we are continuing the same conversations of racial inclusion and misogyny within the community. It's tough to think you are the group finally addressing an issue only to realize your forebears talked about it as well. It means you are not a part of the revolution but a part of stagnation.
But it has also made me stronger. Realizing that you are stuck prompts you to action. And that's where we are as a country. This book has helped me to realize that there is strength in difference and that the problem arises when you start to believe assimilation is the best process. In the words of Martha Shelley, "And now I will tell you what we want, we radical homosexuals: not for you to tolerate us, or to accept us, but to understand us."
But the two things I loved most about this book were, first and foremost, the inclusivity of voices across the Kinsey, sexual and gender spectrums AND this pretty pink dust jacket. I mean, just look at it 😍♥️
This book has made me sad, and this book has made me strong. It has made me sad to see that we are continuing the same conversations of racial inclusion and misogyny within the community. It's tough to think you are the group finally addressing an issue only to realize your forebears talked about it as well. It means you are not a part of the revolution but a part of stagnation.
But it has also made me stronger. Realizing that you are stuck prompts you to action. And that's where we are as a country. This book has helped me to realize that there is strength in difference and that the problem arises when you start to believe assimilation is the best process. In the words of Martha Shelley, "And now I will tell you what we want, we radical homosexuals: not for you to tolerate us, or to accept us, but to understand us."
But the two things I loved most about this book were, first and foremost, the inclusivity of voices across the Kinsey, sexual and gender spectrums AND this pretty pink dust jacket. I mean, just look at it 😍♥️
October 31, 2019
The Stonewall Reader: Edited by The New York Public Library
New York Public Library, Edmund White (Foreword)
This book describes some of the events that happened before, during, and after the 1969 Stonewall riots in NYC.
After a helpful foreword and introduction, there are articles by 12 separate authors that describe the attitudes and practices of the general public and of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, and Queer, (LGBTQ) communities that existed before the riots. There are 14 articles describing the actual riots, and 18 articles that describe the following years. The articles are easily readable, frank, and unambiguous about the conditions and treatment that each contributor experienced.
This is a fairly quick read. It could be helpful to those who want to have a better understanding of LGBTQ history, practices, and issues.
New York Public Library, Edmund White (Foreword)
This book describes some of the events that happened before, during, and after the 1969 Stonewall riots in NYC.
After a helpful foreword and introduction, there are articles by 12 separate authors that describe the attitudes and practices of the general public and of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, and Queer, (LGBTQ) communities that existed before the riots. There are 14 articles describing the actual riots, and 18 articles that describe the following years. The articles are easily readable, frank, and unambiguous about the conditions and treatment that each contributor experienced.
This is a fairly quick read. It could be helpful to those who want to have a better understanding of LGBTQ history, practices, and issues.
February 23, 2021
Essential reading for me during LGBTQ+ History Month. I can’t imagine the oppression of the past nor believe the courage of the communities to stand up against it to create better lives for us now when it had such dangers for them.
The After Stonewall section wasn’t as interesting as the before and during, idk a lot of it didn’t really relate directly to Stonewall, just things that happened in the 70s (I guess the point is that they happened after and therefore the attitude change and activism was made easier by Stonewall) so it was similar to the before stonewall section - how we were treated and how people were getting fed up and becoming braver to speak out and resist - but still very interesting to read literature from the time.
4/5 🏳️🌈
The After Stonewall section wasn’t as interesting as the before and during, idk a lot of it didn’t really relate directly to Stonewall, just things that happened in the 70s (I guess the point is that they happened after and therefore the attitude change and activism was made easier by Stonewall) so it was similar to the before stonewall section - how we were treated and how people were getting fed up and becoming braver to speak out and resist - but still very interesting to read literature from the time.
4/5 🏳️🌈
June 9, 2019
An important collection. Like most readers some pieces were stronger than others. It’s a great insight into the times before, during, and after Stonewall. I got a bit bored with it because the short pieces made it hard to engage with the topic. It also starts to get a little repetitive by the end. I think I’d prefer a deep dive into the subject and history over this.
June 11, 2025
I listened to the audiobook my second time through and it added so much value. Listening to the interviews felt so special. I even slowed down my audiobook speed which I never do. This is such a special collection and an excellent resource for learning about the beginnings of queer activism and liberation.
January 20, 2025
This was an incredible read! I gained a new appreciation for the Stonewall Riots and for oral history projects like this one. My favorite takeaway from the book is the insight that LGBTQ+ activism has always been deeply intertwined with anti-capitalist action.
In an era of corporate-sponsored Pride Parades, hearing these radical statements felt weirdly reassuring. There will be no lesbian liberation under capitalism—we have always known this truth!
In an era of corporate-sponsored Pride Parades, hearing these radical statements felt weirdly reassuring. There will be no lesbian liberation under capitalism—we have always known this truth!
April 28, 2023
Incredibly informative and moving read. I didn’t know much about Stonewall prior to this anthology, and I learned so much while reading. Highly recommend!
August 26, 2019
I deem much of the argument if it should be called the Stonewall Uprising or Stonewall Riot of rather trivial importance. It does not disregard the fact that it is a revolution. And no revolution suddenly arise out of nowhere; each brews for a long time. Once it culminates it does not stop or waver. For when a minority is continuously harassed, oppressed, berated, and discriminated it only takes a time until a type of retaliation and rebellion thrive. There is a collective demand for respect, their rights as human beings and a courage to defend themselves from senseless brutality and nasty micro aggressions inflicted by those who refuse to understand, those who are either strangled by irrational dread or dumbed down by rigid beliefs. So it goes, enough is enough. A movement is fuelled.
The Stonewall Reader is a comprehensive collection of interviews, transcripts, and articles in three parts: the before, during, and after Stonewall. The “Before” focuses more on the varied personal and intimate experiences of LGBT people. It recounts of discovery, acceptance, and the creation if not the search of a community. At an era when consenting adults of the same-sex is punishable by law and psychology considers homosexuality as a mental illness, conversion therapy is advised, spurts of silent revolt happen far and between. Every small group, mostly underground, contribute their own acts of insurgence through magazine-printings and assemblies. Most members don’t disclose personal details, not even their real name, for they live differently outside. There is the constant fear of being found out which could be grounds for unemployment. The “During” tells of the Stonewall riots that spanned from 28 June to 1 July 1969. Selected first hand accounts including those of transgender activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera are terrifying and touching albeit there is one account, amidst having importance, from journalist Howard Smith which is tinged with homophobia instead of an impartial air. The resilience and resistance of the LGBT community at such a time is admirable, even empowering. The prior uprisings leading to the Stonewall Riots are also notably significant in their own contributions. The series of protests during the Stonewall Riots has forced people outside the community to listen and see that gay, gender non-comforming, and transgender people exist, have always existed, and will not go away. Visibility is a force. In its last section, the “After”, some look back, nostalgic and grateful. Although the Stonewall Riots had not completely turned the tide over it has inspired and prompted not only the gay liberation, Pride celebrations, but also the continuous effort of the community to work on persisting issues and stop attempts to roll back progress in different means. This book stands alone by itself but I can imagine its impact amplified by the emotional New York Public Library’s exhibit, “Love & Resistance: Stonewall 50“ which ran from 14 Feb to 13 July 2019 (more about this here).
“True, some gays play the same role-games among themselves that straights do. Isn’t every minority group fucked over by the values of the majority culture? But the really important thing about being gay is that you are forced to notice how much sex-role differentiation is pure artifice, is nothing but a game.”
I consider The Stonewall Reader a more or less condensed modern history of the LGBT and is there anything better than a collection weaved together by the members of the community themselves from their own works or in their own words? The result is outstanding and expansive than I expected. And I am very pleased that this does not focus on white people alone but also includes people of colour. Some accounts mildly touches on the gay movement‘s intersection with the civil and feminist movements too. As these appear more of an opinion than a fact, further reading is advised. Of course the flaws within the community, specifically the still present discrimination against transgender people and drag queens, is not dismissed and it calls for action. In the end this book makes my own identity, shall I say, robust and tangible. Reading about those who have lived before me, felt similarly, had the same thoughts, and fought the same afflictions is reassuring. With knowledge of my own people’s history, I know myself better.
The Stonewall Reader is a comprehensive collection of interviews, transcripts, and articles in three parts: the before, during, and after Stonewall. The “Before” focuses more on the varied personal and intimate experiences of LGBT people. It recounts of discovery, acceptance, and the creation if not the search of a community. At an era when consenting adults of the same-sex is punishable by law and psychology considers homosexuality as a mental illness, conversion therapy is advised, spurts of silent revolt happen far and between. Every small group, mostly underground, contribute their own acts of insurgence through magazine-printings and assemblies. Most members don’t disclose personal details, not even their real name, for they live differently outside. There is the constant fear of being found out which could be grounds for unemployment. The “During” tells of the Stonewall riots that spanned from 28 June to 1 July 1969. Selected first hand accounts including those of transgender activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera are terrifying and touching albeit there is one account, amidst having importance, from journalist Howard Smith which is tinged with homophobia instead of an impartial air. The resilience and resistance of the LGBT community at such a time is admirable, even empowering. The prior uprisings leading to the Stonewall Riots are also notably significant in their own contributions. The series of protests during the Stonewall Riots has forced people outside the community to listen and see that gay, gender non-comforming, and transgender people exist, have always existed, and will not go away. Visibility is a force. In its last section, the “After”, some look back, nostalgic and grateful. Although the Stonewall Riots had not completely turned the tide over it has inspired and prompted not only the gay liberation, Pride celebrations, but also the continuous effort of the community to work on persisting issues and stop attempts to roll back progress in different means. This book stands alone by itself but I can imagine its impact amplified by the emotional New York Public Library’s exhibit, “Love & Resistance: Stonewall 50“ which ran from 14 Feb to 13 July 2019 (more about this here).
“True, some gays play the same role-games among themselves that straights do. Isn’t every minority group fucked over by the values of the majority culture? But the really important thing about being gay is that you are forced to notice how much sex-role differentiation is pure artifice, is nothing but a game.”
I consider The Stonewall Reader a more or less condensed modern history of the LGBT and is there anything better than a collection weaved together by the members of the community themselves from their own works or in their own words? The result is outstanding and expansive than I expected. And I am very pleased that this does not focus on white people alone but also includes people of colour. Some accounts mildly touches on the gay movement‘s intersection with the civil and feminist movements too. As these appear more of an opinion than a fact, further reading is advised. Of course the flaws within the community, specifically the still present discrimination against transgender people and drag queens, is not dismissed and it calls for action. In the end this book makes my own identity, shall I say, robust and tangible. Reading about those who have lived before me, felt similarly, had the same thoughts, and fought the same afflictions is reassuring. With knowledge of my own people’s history, I know myself better.
September 27, 2019
This is the book I broke my 2019 book-buying ban for, and it was so very worth it. This anthology of interviews and memoir excerpts explores the LGBT rights movement in America before, during, and after the Stonewall uprising. It showcases many different voices, and I loved reading the words and thoughts of movement leaders who previously had been not much more than names to me. It made me realize how little LGBT history I had been exposed to, as it helped turn these names into fully fleshed-out people with each turn of the page. As it relies heavily on oral history, it was fascinating to see how so many people can experience the same event, but walk away with vastly different experiences/impressions. The sometimes conflicting details of the series of events at Stonewall was like a sociology lesson jumping off the page. Even if you're usually not a reader of nonfiction, I urge you to pick this book up. It truly showcases how history is a collection of human stories, and why that's so important to learn and preserve.
For more reviews and recommendations, find me on Instagram @GetLitBookclub
For more reviews and recommendations, find me on Instagram @GetLitBookclub
May 2, 2023
I listened to this over the course of a few days while crocheting (I like audiobooks when my hands are busy).
The stories told here are split between pre-, during and post- Stonewall, though many repeat the same theme.
They are the lived experience of gay men, women, transgender women and drag queens throughout the 60's and 70's. Some tales are sad and tragic, others are fierce and inspirational, some disheartening and difficult to comprehend. The common theme is oppression and discrimination and the weariness of dealing with this oppression, which ultimately resulted in the Stonewall uprising.
It's funny to hear the different perspectives of the actual night of Stonewall; some say it started due to a drag queen having her face touched, others that the police manhandled a small individual incapable of fighting back. There are contradicting reports of who started fires, whether there was looting/no looting, molotov cocktails or just coins thrown to parody "police pay offs". Some memories are sketchy from those who were drug users at the time, or those who heard things second and third hand, Chinese whispers style.
The stories are enlightening and some more than others greatly entertaining. I have awarded only 3 stars however as there is much repetition and padding.
The stories told here are split between pre-, during and post- Stonewall, though many repeat the same theme.
They are the lived experience of gay men, women, transgender women and drag queens throughout the 60's and 70's. Some tales are sad and tragic, others are fierce and inspirational, some disheartening and difficult to comprehend. The common theme is oppression and discrimination and the weariness of dealing with this oppression, which ultimately resulted in the Stonewall uprising.
It's funny to hear the different perspectives of the actual night of Stonewall; some say it started due to a drag queen having her face touched, others that the police manhandled a small individual incapable of fighting back. There are contradicting reports of who started fires, whether there was looting/no looting, molotov cocktails or just coins thrown to parody "police pay offs". Some memories are sketchy from those who were drug users at the time, or those who heard things second and third hand, Chinese whispers style.
The stories are enlightening and some more than others greatly entertaining. I have awarded only 3 stars however as there is much repetition and padding.
July 3, 2022
A really good collection of interviews with LGBTQ+ activists who had a major influence on the movement back in the 50's and 60's. The book focuses on the Stonewall riots and conveys the importance of it by giving the reader a background about the struggles people in the community had to face before and after these riots. The book also debunks many rumors surrounding the riots by interviewing people who were directly involved and present at the location. The book did give me a lot of material to look up, which is what exactly I'm looking for when reading such books.
July 13, 2025
Wauw, wat een goed, interessant en soms zelfs emotioneel boek. Het is een indrukwekkende verzameling van artikelen, boekfragmenten en interviews van mensen die de Stonewall riots hebben meegemaakt, maar ook het leven als queer persoon in de jaren ’60 en ’70. Het boek biedt niet alleen een leerzaam historisch perspectief, maar ook ontroerende en krachtige persoonlijke verhalen. Ik vond het ontzettend boeiend en heb het met veel bewondering gelezen! echt een aanrader als je in dit onderwerp geïnteresseerd bent <3
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