My graphic novel STONEWALL deals directly with questions of GLBTQ history, methods of queer storytelling (specifically through comics), and also a young queer artist’s engagement with the not-so distant past. The so-called “Stonewall Riots” of 1969, are regularly acknowledged as a symbolic turning-point in the history of LGBT rights, yet it is surprisingly difficult to find an accessible and concise account of what actually happened. My research uncovered a much different story than I expected. The individuals involved that night were no angels or heroes. They were tired, poor, angry, campy, and over-heated. They had been blackmailed, beaten, and tricked by both the cops and the mob. They had been utterly rejected by gay men and women of privilege for their class, skin color, and especially gender expression. As a drag queen, these are the kind of people that surround and inspire me every day. As a white gay man, however, these are not the stories I heard when I learned “our history.” STONEWALL revises that narrative in three sections: MISS VENUS (a Venezuelan trans teenager’s arrest precipitates the riots), MARK (a white hippie photographer sees the riots through the lens of late 60s politics), and OFFICER BROWN (a female police officer in battle with The Stonewall’s mafia ownership). Each storyline is drawn in a different art style, with the mixed-media nature of the graphic novel underscoring my message. Instead of regurgitating any overarching “narrative” of revolution and progress, this work will encourage readers to see the importance of diversity and disagreement in any unified group of people or revolutionary event. This graphic novel can be of used in the classroom. It is a necessary and politically relevant story that gives me great hope, and can inspire us to be different, to be fearlessly queer, to stand up and shout.
About the presenterSasha Steinberg
Sasha Steinberg is a comics artist, drag queen, and editor. He is author of the comic series STONEWALL and Art Director of VYM: The Drag Magazine. He holds an MFA from The Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont, and a B.A. in Modern Literatures from Vassar College. In 2009, Sasha traveled to Moscow on a Fulbright Scholarship to research the arts and politics of LGBT activism. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.