Stonewall and Beyond: Researching LGBTQ History with NYPL's Online Resources
"Stonewall Inn" by Diana Davies, NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 1582272
Updated 6/1/2023
For more than half a century the word "Stonewall" has taken on a special meaning in American history. To most, Stonewall symbolizes the event that kick-started the LGBTQ rights movement, encouraged by and joining other progressive movements of the late 1960s including the civil rights movement, the Black Power movement, and the women's rights movement. But prior to June 28, 1969, The Stonewall Inn—the setting for the now iconic police altercation—was a gay bar on Christopher Street with two dance floors and a large bar with "overpriced, watered-down drinks."
Like many New York City gay establishments in the 1950s and 1960s, The Stonewall Inn was operated by the mafia, therefore, it was subject to numerous police raids. Despite the frequent raids, The Stonewall Inn served as a relatively safe place for the gay community to gather, considering the state laws at the time, which outlawed any form of outwardly homosexual affection as well as "demanded that a minimum of three pieces of gender appropriate clothing be worn at all times." The fact that the mafia paid off the police prior to raids and the club offered some privacy, which included blacked-out windows, made this a popular nightspot.
However, on the night of June 28, 1969, it was not the local police but the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms that raided The Stonewall for allowing bootlegged liquor. The events that led to the altercation from there differ depending on the witness, but as the raid continued, the crowd outside of Stonewall grew and a physical confrontation occurred between the crowd and the federal agency. The momentum from the confrontation continued to build during the following days and it was this event that led to the creation of the Gay Liberation Front and the push for mobilization and LGBTQ activism that has never ceased.
Many scholars in this area make the important point that although Stonewall was a pivotal point in LGBTQ history, there were significant LGBTQ movements leading up to this event, as well as afterward. If you are interested in researching LGBTQ history, The New York Public Library provides excellent online resources to expand your knowledge. We have highlighted several important online resources below and we invite you to explore our NYPL's Landmark LGBTQ collections here. Also, check out the over 500 online research options available to New York Public Library patrons, many accessible from home with a library card!
ARCHIVES OF SEXUALITY AND GENDER
The Archives of Sexuality and Gender database contains exceptional historical records of LGBTQ political and social organizations including publications from over 35 countries. What makes this database a real standout are the 51 digitized archival collections including the International Vertical Files from the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives, the ACT UP: The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power collection, the LGBTQ Newspapers and Periodicals Collection from the Lesbian Herstory Archives, and The Mattachine Society of New York Records, 1951-1976. The collections in this digital archive are gathered from the most important LGBTQ archives from major research institutions such as The New York Public Library, the GLBT Historical Society, Lesbian Herstory Educational Foundation, Inc, Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives, and the National Library of Medicine.
LGBT LIFE WITH FULL TEXT
Take some time to explore the stellar collection of over 140 full-text journals, magazines, and regional newspapers, including The Advocate and Lesbian Tide. This database also holds over 160 full-text books, as well as reference materials and monographs. In addition to full-text materials, there are over 600 indexed items, as well as an LGBT thesaurus.
INDEPENDENT VOICES
The Independent Voices database is a collection of alternative press newspapers, magazines, and journals from 1951-2016. Each issue is beautifully digitized and full-text searchable. Just some of the titles include the Philadelphia Gay News, Lavender Woman, Tangents, and The Furies.
ACLU American Civil Liberties Union Papers 1912-1995
According to the ACLU, they took on their first LGBTQ case in 1936. For an in-depth look at the legal history of LGBTQ rights, the American Civil Liberties Union database provides excellent insight into a number of cases.
PROQUEST HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS
Viewing the history of the LGBTQ rights movement through the lens of the mainstream media is a significant research tool, and the New York Public Library provides access to hundreds of digitized, full-text newspapers from all over the world, including ProQuest Historical Newspapers which includes newspapers from all of the major U.S. cities.
ALTERNATIVE PRESS INDEX AND ARCHIVE
The Alternative Press Index and The Alternative Press Archive are indexes that contain over 400,000 records of radical, alternative, and left periodicals, including magazine articles, journals, and newspapers from 1969 to the present day.
Diana Davies Photographs in the Digital Collections
Almost 4,000 black and white photographic prints, color slides, and negatives taken by Diana Davies in the 1960s and 1970s which include representatives of several New York gay and lesbian organizations including the Gay Liberation Front and Lavender Menace, and demonstrations, marches, and meetings.