Whitewashing of the Stonewall Riots

Title: Whitewashing of the Stonewall Riots
Author: Sam Stageman
Faculty Sponsor: CM Hall; Gavin Keulks
Date: 6/1/2017
Abstract: Roland Emmerich’s film Stonewall was met with criticism for supposedly “whitewashing” the Stonewall riots, a pivotal moment in the LGBTQ+ community’s history. These critics stated that the riots had been begun by transgender women of color and Emmerich’s film made it appear that a white cisgender man started the riots. This papers determines if these criticisms were justified by reviewing historical accounts of the Stonewall Inn and riots, studying notable people associated with the riots, and analyzing the film itself. These findings are then analyzed through a queer theory lens to determine the message of Stonewall. It was ultimately determined that while Stonewall did have a number of inaccuracies, it did not necessarily warrant all the criticism it received.
Type: Text; Honors Thesis
Department: Honors Program
Language: eng
Rights: Western Oregon University Library has determined, as of 06/01/2023, this item is in copyright, which is held by the author. Users may use the item in accordance with copyright limitations and exceptions, including fair use. For other uses, please ask permission from the author.; http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Identifier: honors_theses/137