Blog entry:The LGBT Revolution Will Be Televised!

Cristina Quinn, World Compass Cristina Quinn is a Boston, MA-based World Compass Staff Member and Blogger. ...

Remember when being gay was illegal? You should, because it wasn't that long ago. There is still a long battle ahead about LGBT rights, and there are a lot of folks out there sending positive (and sometimes entertaining) messages to teens caught in the awkward middle of our cultural differences on these issues. Meanwhile, American Experience is offering a comprehensive retelling of the history of the LGBT rights movement in the documentary Stonewall Uprising on WORLD .

Watch the full episode. See more American Experience.

In the 1960s, Greenwich Village's Stonewall Inn was a mafia-owned gay bar that served watered-down, over-priced drinks--without a liquor license. And at the time it was one of the the few places where gays could be, well, openly gay. However, the absent liquor license on the wall made the Stonewall Inn a frequent recipient of police raids, and in 1969, if you were openly gay or dressed in drag, you were breaking multiple laws, which meant Stonewall Inn patrons were frequent recipients of arrests. Naturally, this s*$% got old, and one night--in the early morning hours of June 28th, 1969--enough was enough. Tired of being persecuted for liking someone of the same gender, tired of hiding and running, and tired of being treated like dirt, the gays, lesbians, and drag queens fought the ultimate fight...and won. Tune in to learn a lot more, including what "mafia beer" tastes like, about the off label usage of meat wagons, and who threw the first punch.

American Experience: Stonewall Uprising aired Tuesday at 3 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on WORLD.