Before Stonewall, the "homophile" movement of the 1950s and 60s often tried to gain social acceptance by encouraging LGBTQ people to dress conservatively (in "gender-appropriate" clothing) and blend into heterosexual society. It was the transgender and gender-nonconforming community—those who could not or would not hide their divergence—who realized that assimilation was a dead end. They understood that the police raids at gay bars were not just about sodomy laws; they were about the "masquerade" laws that criminalized wearing clothing of the opposite sex.
Often cited as the catalyst for the modern Pride movement, this New York City revolt was driven by diverse patrons, including Black and Latina trans women like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera . Rivera and Johnson later founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) , the first organization dedicated to supporting homeless LGBTQ youth. 2. The Evolution of Language and Identity
