The recently released trailer for the upcoming film Stonewall surprised and angered many viewers. The trailer features an ahistorical white, cis-gendered male named Danny around which much of the narrative has been constructed. At one point in the trailer, Danny is shown throwing a brick through a window—presumably instigating the Stonewall riots. This is disheartening for anyone who understands the history of the Stonewall riots, which were led by a diverse group including drag queens and other queer people of color. Indeed, witnesses actually attribute the brick incident to African American drag queen and LGBT activist Marsha P. Johnson, who appears as only a supporting character in the film.
While the film is marketed as a “fictionalized” account of the protests, LGBTQ activists and advocates have taken to social media with the hashtag #notmystonewall to tell Hollywood that their revisionism has gone too far.
Highlighting what he feels are the artistic liberties taken by Stonewall’s filmmakers, Facebook user Alejandro Juarez has given “the Stonewall treatment” to some other famous civil rights movements by photoshopping Danny into historic photos.
“Writing people of color and trans people out of history and inserting a white cis male in their place is insulting and wrong,” Juarez writes in his post on Facebook. “Enjoy these photos of historical whitewashing by Danny the twink in the new Stonewall movie.”
Juarez said he wants the images to be used to promote support for the trans community and the petition to boycott the film. He suggests signing the petition to boycott the Stonewall film, checking out Happy Birthday, Marsha and donating to the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, the TGI Justice Project and the Transgender Law Project to get involved.