Week 4 Flashcards
What is the significance of the events at the Stonewall Inn?
They were a huge turning point in queer activism, many organizations started popping up afterward.
What misconception does the narrative of Stonewall as the starting point of the gay movement create?
It conceals the fact that gay liberation existed prior to Stonewall.
What does the term ‘queer metronormativity’ imply in the context of the Stonewall narrative?
It implies that LGBTQ+ history and activism are often centered on urban spaces, reinforcing the idea that queerness is primarily visible, accepted, and politically powerful in metropolitan areas.
How does the Stonewall narrative affect the understanding of movement development?
Overemphasis on Urban, White, Gay Men’s Activism. Should not be marked as the “Start”. Crowds out more complex stories of movement.
What does the statement ‘Gay liberation did not spread like wildfire’ suggest?
spread of gay liberation was uneven, complex, and contingent on various social, political, and geographical factors, as well as many efforts from many groups
What role does Stonewall commemoration play in gay movement development?
Commemoration is not secondary; it significantly impacted the gay movement.
What are the three overlapping contexts important for understanding the Save Our Children campaign?
- Religious Right and Moral Panics
- LGBTQ+ Rights and Backlash Politics
- Media, Messaging, and Public Opinion
How did conservative activists link multiple campaigns in the Save Our Children context?
They linked gay rights, religious freedom, family values, and child protection,
What does Ferguson’s book critique about queer political histories?
It critiques the dominant way of narrating queer political histories.
What is a key point made by Ferguson regarding intersectional activism among queers?
It challenges the idea that intersectional activism is a recent phenomenon.
Fill in the blank: The notion of the Stonewall riots as ‘spark’ ______ the role that Stonewall commemoration played in gay movement development.
conceals
What does the term ‘imbricated struggles’ refer to in the context of the movements of the sixties and seventies?
It refers to struggles that were interconnected rather than sequential.
True or False: The modern gay rights movement fosters the idea that gay liberation arrived distinct from anti-racist liberation.
True
What does the Ferguson reading suggest about the past of gay liberation?
It can be envisioned as a moment ripe with overlaps of race, sexuality, class, and gender.
What does Rivera’s retelling question about the story of gay rights?
It questions the idea that gay liberation arrived distinct from anti-racist liberation.
What does the term ‘anti-separatism’ refer to in the context of gay liberation?
It refers to the rejection of separation based on identity in favor of collective action.
What is the importance of the first commemoration of Stonewall?
It was gay liberation’s biggest and most successful protest event.
Fill in the blank: The movement development in multiple cities was a ______ for national commemoration of Stonewall.
precondition
What is the definition of ‘queer’ as used by Ryan?
A materialist term referring to a broad collection of people whose sexual and gender expressions were not normative in their time
Most individuals discussed in the book would not have identified as ‘queer’ in this way.
What was the significance of the Women’s House of Detention during the Stonewall Uprising?
It was a ‘queer landmark’ where those incarcerated held a riot and demanded ‘gay rights’
The prison’s windows allowed visibility of the Stonewall Inn, linking the two sites.
What percentage of people incarcerated in women’s detention facilities are part of the broad LGBTQ spectrum?
40%
This statistic highlights the representation of queer individuals within women’s prisons.
According to Ryan, what is often overlooked in the study of queer history?
The impacts of queer people on prison history and the impacts of prisons on queer history
The focus is usually on men’s experiences.
Who is Afeni Shakur and what role did she play in queer history?
A radical gay liberationist who was present at the Stonewall Riots and identified as bisexual
Her history connects Black liberation and gay liberation.
What was Angela Davis’s view on homosexuality in relation to capitalism?
She viewed homosexuality as a distraction from battling capitalism
Despite this, she acknowledged her lesbianism as a political statement.
What major project did Angela Davis work on that highlighted the issues of bail?
The Manhattan Bail Project
It demonstrated that bail was destructive to individuals and bloated the system.
What was the racial demographic of those incarcerated in the House of Detention?
95% were women of color
This statistic underscores the intersection of race and incarceration.
When was the House of Detention closed?
1971
The building was eventually torn down due to opposition from village landowners.
What remains at the site of the former House of Detention today?
A small garden and a plaque
The plaque serves to preserve the memory of the incarcerated women and transmasculine people.
What is a key takeaway from Ryan’s reflections on Stonewall?
The frame of reference for Stonewall has been too small, missing broader historical contexts
Ryan argues for a more inclusive narrative.
What did Ryan express about the stories he could not tell in his book?
For every story told, there are fifty not told and a hundred never found
This emphasizes the complexity and richness of queer histories.
Fill in the blank: The story of the Women’s House of Detention is a powerful example of the intersection between ______ and ______.
Black liberation, gay liberation
True or False: Angela Davis entirely embraced her identity as a queer woman without any reservations.
False
She expressed discomfort with certain aspects of queer identity in her activism.
What is the main goal of the reflection exercise mentioned in the document?
To create a new story of Stonewall and plan how to present it
This aims to intervene in the dominant narrative surrounding Stonewall.
