Activists worry about the accuracy of the newly announced film

Sean Hobbs Staff Writer

Roland Emmerich, known for directing films such as “Independence Day” and “2012”, is   working on a new movie about the Stonewall Riots with an undecided release date. LGBT activists are expecting it to be a disaster akin to his previous work.

The Stonewall Riots of 1969 were an integral part of the gay rights movement and LGBT activism overall. The riots began when police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village, New York. While the police were expecting a by the books situation, the patrons did not cooperate with the officers instructions and many were arrested. Tired of brutality and unjust treatment, many of the areas LGBT members antagonized the police until riots began. The riots lasted about three days and were the beginning of the more militant branch of LGBT activism.

While many people participated in the riots, Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, both transgender women of color, were two of the most influential voices involved. They lead much of the activism that picked up afterwards.

Little is presently known about the film with the exception of the director, the writer Jon Robin Baitz and the lead role, played by Jeremy Irvine.

Some LGBT activists are already on edge despite a lack of details. The casting of Irvine, a straight white male, as the main character has not lent confidence to the accuracy of the movie’s portrayal. According to some sources, Caleb Landry Jones has also recently been contacted about a part in the film.

A transgender student at Pierce, who asked to remain nameless, expressed the fear that the film was being “straightened” up to fit a more respectable persona. “They’re doing it because that’s what they always do with these things,” they said. “The rest of us aren’t proper.”

The film is in pre-production, with no slated release date or timeframe.