We Talked To 3 People Who Were At Stonewall In 1969 — Here's Their Advice For Queer People Today

Willson Henderson, S.V.A Executive Director 

What happened that night: 

"It was the day of Judy Garland's funeral, which was the number one news story everywhere, because not only gays liked Judy but so did straights. So that night, you can imagine that there were more people at the Stonewall club that night than would have been. Then once the rebellion got going, people in the streets (mainly straights, by the way) would come out of their apartments and from the streets. But then I was taken away by the police, so I don't know what happened after that.

"I had a belt tied in the back, so one cop grabbed that and that's how he pulled me down on the ground. My friend was shouting 'Let him alone, let him go,' because I went down on the ground. So I said I was injured so they had to take me to the hospital.

"I figured I would be able to escape. But they kept a close eye on me, and no one else was there so I couldn't get away from them. So they took me from there down to the old 6th precinct. It was scary, because it was dark and very quiet and the cop at the front desk said to these two undercover cops, 'What is it, a him or a her?' Then after they did the fingerprinting and the mugshot, they took me downtown. It was underground, what they called tombs, and I was put into this big cell with a lot of people in it. It was many hours before I went before a judge with all of these charges, included 'crossdressing' because they deemed some things I was wearing as not for males. I got out, but I had to go to court many times before they dismissed the charges."

How he's seen Pride change: 

"Pride represents a lot more now, and a lot of groups have elbowed their way into it with their own causes, like Gays Against Guns. For next year, for Stonewall 50, I expect the parade to have the Stonewall veterans front and center, and giving credit to the ones who started it all."

His advice to LGBTQ+ kids: 

"Be yourself. That's what I always did. People ask me, 'Did you ever change after [the rebellion]?' And I say, 'No, I was always myself.'"

Refrence : www.refinery29.com