Notable Bar Raids in Houston
Before the social and political activism fostered by the Stonewall Inn events which brought LGBT issues to the forefront of national attention, police raids on gay bars occurred regularly. Social spaces created and used by LGBT folk were few and centered around predominantly LGBT communities, allowing individuals the opportunity to interact outside the social conditions of a largely homophobic society. Bars, clubs, bathhouses and bookstores were intended to be safe spaces for LGBT people, but that wasn’t always the case. Even after stonewall, raids of these spaces continued to occur. In addition to fighting for civil rights and freedoms, individuals belonging to LGBT communities across the nation faced outright discrimination from the legal actions of their local police authorities. Lacking protection from federal law, businesses, communities, and individuals were subject to being prosecuted by their local governments for expressing LGBT identity through these social spaces. Raids on bars, where a range of activities could be hosted from dancing to drag queen shows, especially reflect the historic political and social challenges of the LGBT individuals who at the same time were developing local subcultures and a nationally recognized community identity.