1970's Gay Liberation Movement Main Menu

Before the Movement

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Before the Gay Liberation Movement, homosexuality was banned and labeled illegal. Gays had to keep their sexuality hidden and  secretly meet in the shadows to prevent being arrested and publicly 'outed'. Police frequently raided gay bars and it was seen as an
'opportunity for police to brutalize gays, with little fear that their victims would report them' (Robertson). Sadly, those who chose not to hide—the drag queens and women in men's suits—were singled out for harsh treatment.

 Undercover cops conducted police raids to identify and arrest gay citizens in the 1960s by engaging in conversation with men in bars, parks, etc. If the conversation led the police officer to believe the man was gay, he would be arrested for solicitation.

According to Lindsey Robertson's article on the Stonewall Riots, "By 1966, more than 100 men each week were being arrested through 'entrapment' efforts."

This tidal wave of social change began with the civil rights movement and carried other social movements on its crest. Many people saw one's sexual orientation as a personal issue, isolated from politics. However, Feminism emphasized the political meaning in each individual's experience which inspired Gays to view their sexuality as a political secret rather than what was at the time a shameful personal secret (Pendergast).