The Stream

Hollywood trailer accused of ‘whitewashing’ seminal moment in LGBT history

Stonewall under fire for focus on white males.

Many are unhappy with Hollywood’s attempt to “whitewash” the 1969 Stonewall riots, widely remembered as a pivotal moment in LGBT rights. The trailer for the film Stonewall, released on Tuesday, is a fictionalised account of a queer community’s riot against New York City police, after they raided the Stonewall Inn. 

The film is seen through the eyes of a fictional white male character who, based on the trailer, appears to throw the first brick that launched the riots.