The Spirit of Stonewall

June 2006

June means gay pride celebrations in big cities throughout the world. Marches, parades, rallies, festivals, and parties will commemorate the events of June 1969 wherein patrons of New York City’s Stonewall Bar stood up to police harassment. When the bar was raided that historic night, gay men, drag queens, and street riffraff– instead of climbing meekly into the back of police wagons– fought back. What the cops had thought would be a routine shakedown turned into a riot.

Out of that act of resistance was born the modern gay liberation movement. Central to the spirit of Stonewall are two messages. First, sexuality is not a legitimate concern of the police. Bars and meeting places should not be deemed illegal because gay people congregate there. And second, as long as gay men and other “perverts” remain cowed by the cops, the cops will continue to harass, oppress, and extort. Liberation first requires shedding intimidating fear.

In Pride celebrations in smaller towns, where “coming out” can carry personal consequences, these twin messages of sexual freedom and the imperative of confrontation are often still in evidence. But sometimes these core values seem lost in the rainbow hoopla of the big city demonstrations wherein marketing opportunities often overshadow political content.

While everyone enjoys a good party, it would be exciting to see more of the spirit of Stonewall in evidence this June.

In the United States, a return to basic liberationist values is especially important. Our government is seeking to legitimize police state tactics: warrantless spying, detention without charges, and torture. And the Administration is beholden to a fanatical Religious Right that, if they had their way, would imprison or execute all gay people. A police state able to strip a “terrorist” of his civil liberties today, tomorrow will be able to do the same to “sexual degenerates.” To remain true to Stonewall’s spirit, US Pride events must shout a loud “No!” to the growing police state.

And an infusion of Stonewall spirit would help rectify and sharpen our own political agenda.

Instead of looking to have our sex lives legitimized through marriage laws that ape heterosexual institutions, let’s demand that the state provide contractual options to any folks raising kids, or to any folks making a household together without requiring they signal their sexual commitment to each other. People should be free to seek whatever religious service they desire to proclaim their sexual morals, but it should not be the business of the state.

Instead of seeking “extra” equality with so-called hate crime laws, let us demand adherence to the noble concept that everyone is equal before the law. Hate crime laws, by suggesting some people are “specially” protected, necessarily suggest that others– the homeless, the poor, and other politically impotent victims of violence– are left unprotected.

And let us recognize the current insanity whereby six-year-olds are suspended from school for “sexual harassment,” 11-year-olds are put on lifelong registries of “sexually dangerous persons” for routine sex play, and adolescents are portrayed as victims of horrific “abuse” whenever they seek affectionate sex with adults. Hysterical demonization of sex is a threat to young people’s well-being and a frequent tool with which to smear gay men. We must demand it stop.

As you march, dance, and party at this June’s Pride festivities, remember you’re celebrating a riot aimed at stopping police harassment and creating a more just relationship between citizens and their government. God knows, it’s a message for our times.

Pasted from <http://guidemag.com/magcontent/invokemagcontent.cfm?ID=62CCFB42-98B9-4E38-92778E58491D0BEC>