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A review by bgg616
Stonewall by Martin Duberman
5.0
Duberman is a master at weaving together stories of individual lives to write history. He chose six disparate individuals - four men and two women - to tell the story of the development of the Gay Rights Movement. Stonewall refers to the riots that occurred from June 27-July 2, 1969 in and around the Stonewall bar in Greenwich Village. Duberman's history reveals that despite the fact that Stonewall is known as the event that started the modern Gay Rights movement, this is a great over simplification of the actual facts.
The six featured individuals in the book include Foster Gunnison who led a conservative life, and was a proponent of the strategy that gay men and lesbians should conform in dress and behavior and work for acceptance. Karla Jay was a radical feminist who had to hide her sexual orientation in some of the women's groups she worked within. Yvonne Flowers was an African American woman who faced racism and sexism in most of the gay groups she tried to work with. Craig Rodwell was raised in a Christian Scientist residential school and founded the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookstore in the Village, while still holding on to his Christian Science beliefs. Jim Fouratt was part of the radical left. One of the most compelling individuals was Sylvia Rivera (Ray). Sylvia is identified as a drag queen in the book and a transvestite prostitute. But her sexual identity might now be considered transgender. She considered surgery, but only briefly. She'd been on the streets from the age of 11, and wanted to help other street kids like her.
The most fascinating part of the book were the descriptions of the internal political struggles over tactics. There were endless arguments over whether the struggles of gay men and lesbians should join in with other major efforts such as the Black Panthers and the anti-war movement against the war in Vietnam. At that time, there was little mention of individuals who identified as bisexual. Although surgery was a very expensive option for individuals who didn't identify with the gender they were born, in the late 60's there was little or no awareness of gender identity. The book was written in 1993, and even then, the label applied to Sylvia was transvestite. Transexual is used in footnotes, a reminder that language is constantly evolving.
In 1993, all the individuals whose stories make up this history were still alive. The Oscar Wilde Bookstore closed in 2009 citing competition from online booksellers. Craig Rodwell the proprietor died of cancer in 1993 (he was 53), though Duberman describes him as still the proprietor in the book published in 1993. Jim Fouratt is 71 and still an activist. Karla Jay is professor emeritus at Pace University. Foster Gunnison passed away in 1994 (1925-1994). I found a reference to the "late Yvonne Flowers" :
http://www.crunkfeministcollective.com/2014/01/03/black-queer-trouble-in-literature-life-and-the-age-of-obama-part-ii/
Sylvia Rivera passed away at the age of 50 of liver cancer:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/20/nyregion/sylvia-rivera-50-figure-in-birth-of-the-gay-liberation-movement.html
Interestingly, Rivera, Fouratt, Jay and Rodman are all in Wikipedia. Gunnison and Flowers were harder to find. In the case of Yvonne Flowers it seems that Black Lesbian Feminism is still a very marginalized identity and history.
The six featured individuals in the book include Foster Gunnison who led a conservative life, and was a proponent of the strategy that gay men and lesbians should conform in dress and behavior and work for acceptance. Karla Jay was a radical feminist who had to hide her sexual orientation in some of the women's groups she worked within. Yvonne Flowers was an African American woman who faced racism and sexism in most of the gay groups she tried to work with. Craig Rodwell was raised in a Christian Scientist residential school and founded the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookstore in the Village, while still holding on to his Christian Science beliefs. Jim Fouratt was part of the radical left. One of the most compelling individuals was Sylvia Rivera (Ray). Sylvia is identified as a drag queen in the book and a transvestite prostitute. But her sexual identity might now be considered transgender. She considered surgery, but only briefly. She'd been on the streets from the age of 11, and wanted to help other street kids like her.
The most fascinating part of the book were the descriptions of the internal political struggles over tactics. There were endless arguments over whether the struggles of gay men and lesbians should join in with other major efforts such as the Black Panthers and the anti-war movement against the war in Vietnam. At that time, there was little mention of individuals who identified as bisexual. Although surgery was a very expensive option for individuals who didn't identify with the gender they were born, in the late 60's there was little or no awareness of gender identity. The book was written in 1993, and even then, the label applied to Sylvia was transvestite. Transexual is used in footnotes, a reminder that language is constantly evolving.
In 1993, all the individuals whose stories make up this history were still alive. The Oscar Wilde Bookstore closed in 2009 citing competition from online booksellers. Craig Rodwell the proprietor died of cancer in 1993 (he was 53), though Duberman describes him as still the proprietor in the book published in 1993. Jim Fouratt is 71 and still an activist. Karla Jay is professor emeritus at Pace University. Foster Gunnison passed away in 1994 (1925-1994). I found a reference to the "late Yvonne Flowers" :
http://www.crunkfeministcollective.com/2014/01/03/black-queer-trouble-in-literature-life-and-the-age-of-obama-part-ii/
Sylvia Rivera passed away at the age of 50 of liver cancer:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/20/nyregion/sylvia-rivera-50-figure-in-birth-of-the-gay-liberation-movement.html
Interestingly, Rivera, Fouratt, Jay and Rodman are all in Wikipedia. Gunnison and Flowers were harder to find. In the case of Yvonne Flowers it seems that Black Lesbian Feminism is still a very marginalized identity and history.