Gay Liberation Front Platform Statement

The Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was founded in the immediate aftermath of the June 28, 1969 uprising at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. Often referred to as the Stonewall Riots, the event consisted of a series of violent altercations between the police and LGBTQ+ patrons of the Stonewall Inn after the police raided the bar and harassed the employees and customers inside. The violence lasted for six days and marked a shift in LGBTQ+ activism. Inspired by Black power and anti-war movements, the newly formed GLF adopted a more radical approach to fighting oppression, and called for revolutionary change and solidarity with other social movements. Local GLF chapters formed in 34 states and Washington, D.C.

New York City GLF members wrote a political platform, excerpted here. The platform was embraced by GLF groups throughout the country. The statement outlines what GLF leaders saw as the three main types of oppression that homosexual individuals faced in the United States in the immediate aftermath of the Stonewall Riots. Note on language: the term “homosexual” was in widespread use in the 1950s and 1960s, by both law enforcement and LGBTQ+ individuals themselves. The term began to fall out of favor in the late 1960s as the term “gay” became more commonly used.

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