marc stein? >> one of the things the caller emphasized was religion and the oppressive role played by religion and the potentially liberating role played by religion. before the stonewall riots, religious leaders were important allies of the movement, along with the american civil liberties union which was perhaps the most important ally of the pre-stonewall movement. in san francisco there was a council on religion and the homosexual which featured a number of ministers who allied with the lgbt activists of that day and really made important ground-breaking efforts in california, and those efforts continued after stonewall, so i think there's often a tendency now to think of the religious community as hostile to or at odds with lgbt aspirations, but, in fact, religious communities are divided and we've now had for several decades religious denominations who are in the forefront of fighting for lgbt inclusion and rights and others who are in the forefront of opposing lgbt liberation, and even wit

historian marc stein joins us from the stonewall national monument in new york city's greenwich village. here's a portion of tonight's coverage where he explains how the riot starts after a police raid of the bar. >> so some people were detained inside the bar. others began exiting the bar. but on that night, and by this time, it was the early morning hours of june 28th, patrons and passersby began gathering on the street outside. and as the police tried to bring those they had detained into police wagons, the crowd began to erupt, and over the next few nights there ensued rioting in the streets, protests, demonstrations. at one point the police were actually trapped inside the bar until reinforcements arrived. tactical police were -- the riot-control police were called and tried to re-establish order on the streets. but the rioting proceeded over several days over the course of the next week. >> that's part of the interview yo you'll see tonight as american history tv looks at the 50th anniversary of the stonewall riots. also a discussion on pioneering gay rights films from 1968 and 19

host: author, historian, and history professor at san francisco state university, marc stein, who is joining us from chris river street in greenw, o histories, the presidency, and special event coverage about our nations history. enjoy american history tv, now and every weekend on c-span 3. >>> the stonewall riots began on june 28, 1969 after police raided the stonewall inn. the rate sparked six days a protest considered to be the catalyst for the modern lgbtq rights movement. up next on american history tv, discussion with law enforcement and an eyewitness to the protest. they talk about the events

host: author, historian, and history professor at san francisco state university, marc stein, who isoining us from chris river street in greenw