Stonewall 50: Rise and fall of the ‘pansy craze’ (Episode 1, Part 1)
The New York City drag balls of the 1920s and the “pansy crazy” of the ‘30s were followed by a devastating crackdown on “disorderly” homosexuals and gender-nonconforming people.
“Stonewall 50: The Revolution” is a four-episode documentary series from NBC Out and Nightly Films. Centered on the historic 1969 Stonewall uprising, this series explores the past, present and future of the LGBTQ rights movement.
The New York City drag balls of the 1920s and the “pansy crazy” of the ‘30s were followed by a devastating crackdown on “disorderly” homosexuals and gender-nonconforming people.
Two decades before the 1969 Stonewall uprising, there was a nascent but growing “homophile movement,” which included early gay rights groups Mattachine Society and Daughters of Bilitis.
A routine police raid on an unlicensed West Village gay bar, the Stonewall Inn, turned into the spark that fueled the modern-day LGBTQ rights movement.
Who threw the first brick? Was there even a brick? The Stonewall uprising is shrouded in mystery and myth, but one thing is certain: It empowered and emboldened the gay community.
After the Stonewall uprising, New York’s LGBTQ community organized and decided to use a more militant approach to securing gay rights.
Newly empowered LGBTQ activists planned New York City’s very first Pride march, then called Christopher Street Liberation Day, which took place on June 28, 1970, the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall uprising.
From the Stonewall riots to the legalization of gay marriage, LGBTQ rights have progressed significantly over the past 50 years — but the fight is far from over.
The Stonewall Inn, the site of the now-historic 1969 uprising, has transformed into a space of celebration and mourning for the LGBTQ community.