As a result of the release of the movie "Stonewall" last week, the Hotspots staff thought about what life was like for LGBT people back in 1969 compared to today. Nearly all of us can remember a time when being out and proud meant risking something - whether it be rejection from one's family or the loss of employment. How far have we come since 1969?
1969 - The Stonewall Riots happened on June 27 and began the LGBT rights movement as we know it today. Only two states, Illinois and Connecticut, had decriminalized homosexuality by 1969. For those people in the rest of the country, being caught in police raids at gay meeting places, such as bars, meant that you would be arrested and your name and address would be printed in the newspaper. From there, these people would usually be fired from their jobs and shunned by their families. Just five years before, Senator Charley Johns spearheaded a witch hunt against gays in Florida's public universities: over 300 people were either fired from their jobs or kicked out of school. Full timeline here!
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