Such publication often had disastrous consequences for the person “outed” in print. For example, if a man was arrested for committing a “homosexual” act in Dayton, Ohio, his information would be published in the Dayton Daily News. If arrested, a person’s name, age, address and crime would be published as part of the police blotter in most local newspapers across the U.S. – police aggressively and systematically targeted places frequented by gay men. In New York – home to the largest gay population in the U.S.
In 1969, homosexual acts were illegal in every state except Illinois. To understand the differences in media coverage, it’s important to recall the relationship between gay people, the press and the police prior to Stonewall. When the press inadvertently outed people The major dailies gave a megaphone to the police, while alternative outlets embedded themselves among the protesters.
In the days after the Stonewall riots, depending on which paper you read, you would have been exposed to a vastly different version of events. As someone who studies the history and role of the alternative press, I’ve researched how the Stonewall riots were reported in New York’s mainstream and alternative publications.
