steve: the stonewall inn is a historic location. give us a sense geographically of where it was located, what the community was like back in the summer of 1969 and what you see today? prof. potter: the stonewall inn today is still on christopher street. there was a short period in the 1990's when it became a bagel store. and now it is a bar again. it's a national landmark. it is right across the street from a tiny park that has a monument to gay and lesbian activists. it's a park that a lot of menus to use for cruising and meeting each other. now it's a pretty park with flowers in it. christopher street is a long street that extends all the way to the hudson river. the 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's, that entire street was lined with bars and stores and other kinds of establishments that only catered to gay people. really it was the heart of the gay community and the stonewall inn was the heart of the heart of the gay community. steve: the night after the riots, what happened? prof. potter: another riot. the riot went on for several day

claire: so, stonewall inn is still on christopher street. there was actually a very short period in the 1990's when it became a bagel store. -- youre saying, it's were saying, it's a national landmark. it is right across the street from a tiny park that has a monument to gay and lesbian activists. use forark many venues meeting each other. now it's a pretty park with flowers in it. christopher street is a long street that extends all the way to the husband river. -- the hudson river. back in the 60's, 70's and 80's that entire street was lined with bars and stores and other kinds of establishments that only catered to gay people. it was really the heart of the gay community, and the stonewall inn was the heart of the heart of the gay community. steve the night after the riots, : what happened? claire: another riot. police were unable to make people stop rioting. one thing that is very interesting about this moment is that it's really the first time in the history of the city of new york that gay and lesbian people did not accept the authorit

yes, so stonewall inn today is still on christopher street. there was a short time in the 1990's when it became a bagel store, but now it is a bar again. it's a national landmark. it is right across the street from a little tiny cards that has a monument to gay and -- little tinym park that has a monument to gay and lesbian activism in it. now it's a pretty little park with flowers in it. christopher street is a very long street that extends all the way to the hudson river. back in the 1960's, 1970's, in 1980's, the entire street was andd with bars and stores other establishments that only catered basically to gay people. it's really the heart of the gay community and the stonewall community was part of the heart of the gay community. >> the night of the riots, what happened? prof. potter: another riot. the riots went on for several days and nights and policemen not able to make people stop rioting. one of the things that was very interesting about this moment, it is really the first time in the history of the city of new york that gay and les

she describes the uprising and reflects on the legacy of stonewall inn now a national monument in new york city. we recorded this 18 minute interview in chicago at the american historical association meeting. steve: claire potter is someone who studies and teaches history at the new school and writes about it. let's talk about the stonewall riots. in the 50th anniversary is 1969. coming up this june. what happened? prof. potter: stonewall riots. well, one night, when the patrons of stonewall inn, who were on the margins of the gay community, not the people we think of now as being at the center of gay, lesbian and transgender politics. but rather prostitutes, transgender people, drag queens, they were hanging out at

the stonewall inn was one of several on a list for that. steve: claire potter, we thank you very much for your time. prof. potter: thank you for having me. announcer: you are watching american history tv, 48 hours of programming on american history every weekend on c-span3. follow us on twitter at c-span on our for information schedule and to keep up with the latest extremist. -- latest history news. c-span cities tour is in cedar rapids, iowa exploring the american story. up next, we visit the mother mosque of america to learn about the origins of the qur'an. is the lastn testament. if there is such a thing. old testament, new testament, then the qur'an in that language would be the last testament, the final revelation from god to humanity. and mohammed, he received a message from god. this message is called qur'an, like a re-citation because like a re-citation because mohammed was not reading or writing. so it was dictated to him through the angel gabriel. is thethat the qur'an final, direct, comprehensive message that god gave to mohamme

soledad: it's been 50 years since the police raid on the stonewall inn in new york city's greenwich villageonsidered a turning point for gay rights. the raid, which took place on june 28, 1969, made history when patrons fought back against police officers. that struggle led to six days of demonstrations outside the bar and inspired people throughout the country, which helped give rise to the modern gay rights movement. now, the newseum, which by the way is where we shoot this show, is marking that moment with a new exhibit called "rise up: stonewall and the lgbtq rights movement." well-preserved artifacts, pictures, and news coverage from over the years show the important milestones in gay rights history. the 1978 assassination of harvey milk, one of the country's first openly gay elected officials. former congressman barney frank's public coming out in 1987. and the recent fight for marriage equality. the exhibit also takes a look at how the lgbtq community's representation in film, tv, and music has evolved over the years. "rise up" will be on display until the end of the year. that's it

she described the uprising and reflected on the legacy of the stonewall inn, now a national monument in new york city. we recorded the interview in chicago at the annual american historical association meeting. >> claire potter is someone who studies and teaches history at the new school. let's talk about the stonewall riots. what happened? prof. potter: stonewall riots. , when thenight patrons of the stonewall inn, who were on the margins of the gay community, not who we think of now as being in the center of gay, lesbian, and transgender politics

. >> we're approaching 50 minutes since police raided the stonewall inn. it's for the exhibit called rise up. it gave birth to the gay movement in the '70s. journalists play a key role in that exhibit for covering the aids epidemic. "the washington blade" is one of the oldest lgbt newspapers in the u.s. >>> still ahd, airbnbs can provide all of the comforts of a hotel. >> can you stay at someone's place and put ur own privacy at risk. >>> a wild encounter caught on camera. >> that looks like a bison. >>> you're watching news 4 today. >> during a time when there was souch news about climate ma change and s species of animals under the threat of extinction, t's celebrate this news. a new kind of whale ha en discovered. it may belong to the orca family. they're awaiting a tissue sample fo be injury. the whales were d off of the coast of chile. b right noeing called sub antarctic killer whas. their heads are more rounded than a normal killer whale, and the dorsal fins are different. this is good. >>> from the cool to the frightening. >> a man on vacation in ye

his client has a gambling> ware since police in new york raided the stonewall inn, a popular gay bar. the demonstration that' followed sparked the gay rights movement. today the museum opensew a exhibit that takes a look at its lasting impact. news4's cory smith takes us inside and looks at how d.c. play l a role in thet rights over the years. >> reporter: the museum's rise up exhibit say coming out story itself, chronicle in celebration of the gay right movement and the people that had the courage to make it possib. christy oliver is the exhibit's director. the stonewall and riots serve as the starting move for rise up. thatiolent summer gave birth to the gay rights movement of the '70s,ts leaders like harvey milk are prominently featured th wughout. >> wt to tap into that personal connection. so this is why we focus people like frank. >> reporter: journalism also plays a role in the exhibit, from coverage of the aids epidem to a celebration of lgbtq publications like the washington blade, the oldest lgbt newspaper in the united states. >>hey really are aeader in getting out lgbtq ne

claire: one night, when the patrons of stonewall inn, who were on the margins of the gay community, not the people we think of now as being at the center of gay, lesbian and transgender politics, but rather prostitutes, transgender people, drag queens, they were hanging

most historians date the rise of the gay rights movement to the riots at stonewall inn new york city in 1969. the next year is the first gay liberation day parade in new york city. there's also a pride parade in los angeles. importantly in 1973, the american psychiatric association takes homosexuality off of its list of mental disorders. prior to that, it was seen as a psychological problem. states begin to get rid of sodomy laws. harvey milk in san francisco is elected in 1977 to the board of supervisors. san francisco becomes a of of the gay community in the castro district. the rainbow flag is created in 1978. also part of this is the rise of the culture of disco. disco, in terms of clubs, parties around dance music, begins in the gay community in the late 60's and early 1970's. it begins to flourish by the mid-1970's. studio 54 in new york is probably the most quintessential famous discos. they are all over. it's a style of music that becomes popular in the early mid 1970's. probably made most famous and most mainstream by saturday night fever. dance music, mirrored walls, people