Stonewall Means Fight Back / Smash Lesbian and Gay Oppression Shirt

Gay Caucus of Youth Against War and Fascism (YAWF), early 1970s.

2026 Design Reproduction for T-Shirt by @ButtonsOfTheLeft

When the Stonewall Rebellion occurred in June 1969, its significance was ignored or outright rejected by much of the socialist left. Uncritically adapting to prevailing bigotry, many groups of the organized left actually prohibited openly gay members or viewed homosexuality as “bourgeois.” One notable exception to this shameful trend was the Workers World Party (WWP) and its youth organization, Youth Against War and Fascism. Each had many leading LGBTQ members, most notably pioneering trans activist Leslie Feinberg, author of “Stone Butch Blues” who for many years was on the WWP central committee and also authored a comprehensive series of articles on LGBTQ history and the Left under the title “Lavender and Red.” This button was made for a Pride demonstration contingent in the early 1970s.