On the early morning of June 28, 1969 the New York City Police raided an obscure and establishment called Stonewall Inn. The police made random "hits" of places like this where sodomites and other "degenerates" were known to frequent.
However, on this night the people in the bar, mostly young gay men and drag queens, had had enough. Enough of the hypocricy. Enough of the bullying. Enough of the threats and intimidation. So they fought back, and for nearly five days there was a steady stream of people on the streets demonstrating. The Gay Rights Movement had begun.
What a great story, right?
Yet in my search to try to find something worthwhile on television to celebrate during Pride Month, I realized that the behind-the-story story of Stonewall has yet to be made into a TV-movie. If it exists, I couldn't find it!
Is this because TV executives don't think enough people (i.e. "straight people") want to see this TV-movie? Is this because not enough gay actors want to be associated with the project for fear of being "outed?" Is it because straight actors are afraid to be associated with the project for fear of being labelled gay?
Those are all bs reasons. The fact remains that the Powers-That-Be in Hollywood are still very much White Straight Male. "John" doesn't want to see movies starring women, or movies with Black Americans in the lead, or about gay guys. "John" wants to see things blow up real good.
And that is why we still don't have a Martin Luther King Jr biography picture. That is why we get one HUNGER GAMES for every six PERCY JACKSONS. And that is why the best Black actresses in Hollywood are STILL stuck playing maids.
I hope by this time next year there is a good STONEWALL drama out there. We'll see.
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