Gay Pride weekend is once again upon us. And once again we are about to be subjected to numerous reverent references to Stonewall. The survivors of that 1969 riot will march at the front of our parades. And they will be referred to as "veterans"--a militaristic term that implies honorable legitimacy. And yet--let's face it--most of us really don't know a lot about Stonewall. And much of what we know is wrong.
In his book, Stonewall, The Riots that Sparked the Gay Revolution, David Carter debunks many of the popular myths about the Stonewall riots. But his writing style isn't at all didactic. Instead, Mr. Carter writes like a good novelist: he shows much and tells very little. By interweaving the stories of a diverse group of individuals, he constructs a genuine page-turner. And, along the way, many popular misconceptions are corrected. For example: the myth that it was mainly drag queens who rioted. While Mr. Carter makes it clear that transvestites were an important, integral part of the riot, he also goes to great lengths to describe just how diverse the crowd in the bar was that night. And he makes a strong argument that the person who actually started the riot was a lesbian.
It's such an interesting story, one wonders why it hasn't been made into a TV mini-series yet. In this day of Logo etc., that doesn't seem too far-fetched. But maybe the notion of a story where the rioters are the good guys is still too much for our corporate media. In the meantime, it makes a great book.
In his book, Stonewall, The Riots that Sparked the Gay Revolution, David Carter debunks many of the popular myths about the Stonewall riots. But his writing style isn't at all didactic. Instead, Mr. Carter writes like a good novelist: he shows much and tells very little. By interweaving the stories of a diverse group of individuals, he constructs a genuine page-turner. And, along the way, many popular misconceptions are corrected. For example: the myth that it was mainly drag queens who rioted. While Mr. Carter makes it clear that transvestites were an important, integral part of the riot, he also goes to great lengths to describe just how diverse the crowd in the bar was that night. And he makes a strong argument that the person who actually started the riot was a lesbian.
It's such an interesting story, one wonders why it hasn't been made into a TV mini-series yet. In this day of Logo etc., that doesn't seem too far-fetched. But maybe the notion of a story where the rioters are the good guys is still too much for our corporate media. In the meantime, it makes a great book.
David Carter's
Stonewall: The Riots that Sparked the Gay Revolution
is in available in paperback.
St. Martins
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