She was androgynous, tall, dark, handsome and legally armed. She patrolled the lesbian bars to keep what she lovingly referred to as her “baby girls” safe. Stormé DeLarverie served the lesbian community for decades as a volunteer street patrol worker. “That night, the gay men, lesbians, drag queens and drag kings who hung out there decided to fight back.” - Washington Post But many recount her call to arms-and the powerful words she shouted with all her might that incited the Stonewall riots. Stormé DeLarverie never sought to take credit for spurring a historical movement. Some have referred to her as ‘the Gay Community’s Rosa Parks.’ “ - After Ellen “The name Stormé DeLarverie may not ring a bell, but it should. “The cop hit me, and I hit him back,” Stormé recounted. When Stormé threw the very first punch that night, it was in self-defense. Stormé DeLarverie, who was born to an African American mother and a white father in the 1920s, performed as a drag king and was one of several “butch” lesbians that fought against the police on the night of the riots. The name Stormé DeLarverie may not ring a bell, but it should. Back then, cross-dressing was illegal and you could be arrested for not wearing a certain number of “gender-appropriate” articles of clothing. When police officers would barge in, it meant trouble. They checked through a peephole before you could enter, and if you weren’t gay, you weren’t getting into the club. The Stonewall Inn was owned and operated by the Mafia. And now, here we were, June 28, 1970, with people gathered west of Sixth Avenue at Waverly Place.” -Fred Sargeant, The Village Voice We weren’t even certain we would be granted a permit. “One year after the Stonewall Riots galvanized New York’s fearful gay men and lesbians into fighters, a handful of us planned our first march. It was more of a political demonstration in response to what happened at Stonewall. Exactly one year later, on June 28,1970, the first Pride parade took place. That summer night a revolution began and it was a strong butch woman of color that is reported to have thrown the first punch. She was bleeding from the head when she brazenly turned to the crowd and hollered, “WHY DON’T YOU DO SOMETHING!?”Īfter a long struggle, Stormé was dragged into a paddy wagon and that’s when the scene exploded. That night, a brave woman of color, Stormé DeLarverie was hit on the head with a billy club and handcuffed. She was cut from the movie, his-story was rewritten as usual, but let’s set the record straight (no pun intended): a butch lesbian was responsible for starting the first Stonewall riot at 1:20 a.m. By Julia Diana Ghassan Robertson, as seen on Huffington Post
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