Stonewall Riots Sociology

The societal impact that mass media has is extortionate, with studies1 proving that that the average Australian spends half of their waking hours exposed to a screen, and consequentially exposed to whatever those on the other end of the screen want us to see. It is often said that the media is a dramatised reflection of our society, but the action and excitement are not the only things that are blown out of proportion- everywhere you look you are presented with the ‘ideal’ white, cis-gender, able bodied, young straight man, the ultimate embodiment of privilege. Where are the minorities? Where is the representation of well over half of the population? It’s out here in the real world, but what does it say about us when that is not reflected in

On this day, Stonewall Inn, a popular hangout for black and Latino queer Americans in New York, was raided by the police force that had a reputation for assaulting both people of colour and the LGBTQA+ people, though in this case it sparked a protest that was largely led by transgender protestors Sylvia Rivera and Martha P Johnson. The event itself is often referred to as the catalyst for the gay rights movement, and a film that depicts this being brought to the big screen is incredible. But, after the release of the trailer2 and cast list3 there has been a momentous backlash about how the ‘historical’ movie does not depict the multiracial truth. The film, and consequently gay rights history in the eyes of the general public, has been incredibly whitewashed. Hollywood has centred the film on the event’s new fictional protagonist and leader, and it is almost laughably predictable that he is a white, cisgender, middle class male. Doing so has erased the existence of those black transgender women who led the fight for their rights, and has also inspired a petition4 to boycott the film with almost 22,000 signatures. It is perpetuating the whitewashed ideal and whilst an LGBTQA+ film hitting the big screens is notably outstanding the

It takes effort, and is undeniably a scary process, but by acknowledging your privilege and going out of your way to listen to the voices that the media smothers instead of trying to speak for them we can slowly step out of our deluded comfort and begin to embrace the differences that exist in the real world and demand to see more than a mirage on the screen. We deserve better than an illusion. We deserve better than to be ignored. We deserve