LGBTQ history: Stonewall's ripple though Austin.

50 Years Later: How Stonewall Sparked Austin's LGBTQ Movement

In June 1969, police raided NYC's Stonewall Inn, a gay bar. The bar's patrons, including transgender women of color Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, fought back. This uprising changed the LGBTQ rights struggle, inspiring action in Austin, Texas.

Local Impact:

• Austin's LGBTQ community quickly organized post-Stonewall.
• The Gay Liberation Front formed at the University of Texas, despite resistance from UT leaders and mental health experts.
• Local gay bars, like the one at 905 Congress Ave, provided crucial community oases.
• Activists like Dennis Paddie and groups like Gay People of Austin, Austin Lesbian Organization, and Gay Community Services led the charge.

Progress and Challenges:

• By the late '70s, three leading LGBTQ groups emerged, and Mayor Jeff Friedman proclaimed a Gay Pride Week Celebration.
• Activists linked LGBTQ rights with women's and New Left movements.
• The AIDS crisis in the '80s brought urgency to activism, leading to organizations like Liberty Books, Waterloo Counseling, and AIDS Services of Austin.
• Austin elected officials supported Pride celebrations, and in 2015, Texas saw its first same-sex marriage.
• Yet, in 2009, Texas authorities raided a gay bar in Fort Worth, underscoring ongoing challenges.

Legacy:

• Stonewall's impact in Austin is seen in its vibrant LGBTQ community with clubs, organizations, and political groups.
• Austin's LGBTQ movement continues to evolve, with a prominent role in blocking Texas' anti-transgender "bathroom bill" in 2017.

Learn More:

• Voices of Gay Austin
• Why no gayborhoods in Austin?
• Honoring gay history in Texas

Recommended Reading:

• "Pride: Parades and Protests” by The New York Times
• "Stonewall" by Martin Duberman
• "The Stonewall Reader" by New York Public Library
• "The Stonewall Riots" by Gayle Pitman and Marc Stein
• "We Are Everywhere" by Riemer and Brown