In the wee hours of a Saturday morning in the summer of 1969, nine New York City police officers entered Greenwich Village’s small Stonewall Inn. Police raids of gay bars were a frequent occurrence at the time, but this particular instance was different.
This time, people around the Stonewall fought back, and the ensuing several days of confrontation between police and activists greatly accelerated the growth of the gay rights movement.
On Friday’s St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jeremy D. Goodwin led a discussion reflecting on the Stonewall uprising of 50 years ago and what was happening among the local LGBTQ community at that time. Joining the conversation were Steven Louis Brawley, Paul Thiel and Miranda Rectenwald.
Brawley is the author of the book “Gay and Lesbian St. Louis.” Thiel is a St. Louis-based writer who lived in Greenwich Village when the Stonewall events occurred and has written an award-winning story about his observations. He is a Washington University alumnus and recently received an honorary doctorate from the University of Missouri-St. Louis for his work in the local literary community. Rectenwald is the curator of local history for Washington University Libraries.
Brawley and Rectenwald are both involved in the Mapping St. Louis LGBTQ History project.
Listen to the discussion:
Related Events
What: Beyond Stonewall: Commemorating St. Louis’ LGBTQIA+ Milestones
When: 2 p.m. Sunday, June 9, 2019
Where: Missouri History Museum’s Lee Auditorium (5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63112)
What: Qtpoc: STL Stonewall 50 Kiki
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, June 29
Where: Blank Space (2847 Cherokee St., St. Louis, MO 63118)
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Alex Heuer, Evie Hemphill and Lara Hamdan. The engineer is Aaron Doerr and production assistance is provided by Charlie McDonald.
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