Remembering Stonewall by David Isay
KBOO presents our annual broadcast of "Remembering Stonewall," which aired first on the 20th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in 1989.
On Friday, June 27, 1969, eight officers from the public morals section of the first division New York City Police Department pulled up in front of the Stonewall Inn, one of the city's largest and most popular gay bars.
At the time, the vice squad routinely raided gay bars. Patrons always complied with the police, frightened by the prospect of being identified in the newspaper. But this particular Friday night was different. It sparked a revolution, and a hidden subculture was transformed into a vibrant political movement.
Remembering Stonewall, produced by David Isay, is the first documentary -- in any medium -- about the riots. It weaves together the perspectives of the participants, from Deputy Inspector Seymour Pine, who marshaled the raid, to Sylvia Rivera, one of the drag queens who battled most fiercely that night. Remembering Stonewall also examines how Stonewall affected gay politics.t
- KBOO