Stonewall: activists urge boycott of gay rights film

Thousands of people are calling for the boycott of the upcoming film Stonewall, calling it a "whitewash" of the 1969 riots that sparked the gay rights movement in the US.

They argue that the film erases the role played by drag queens and transgender woman of colour, but filmmakers insist the movie honours all the real-life activists.

What is the film about?

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The historical drama depicts the Stonewall Riots, a series of protests by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people triggered by police raids of the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in New York City. The film focuses on the story of a fictional young man called Danny Winters (played by Jeremy Irvine) who moves to the city after being kicked out by his family for being gay. Homeless and destitute, he joins members of the city's LGBT street community who are routinely harassed and beaten by police and "with the toss of a single brick, a riot ensues and a crusade for equality is born".

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Why are people so critical of it?

A petition calling for the boycott of the film has received more than 20,000 signatures, with campaigners accusing filmmakers of "whitewashing" the movement by casting a white, gay man in the lead role. Drag queens, transgender women and people of colour like Marsha P Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, who played pivotal roles in the beginning of the movement, have been airbrushed out of history, they say. "It is time that black and brown transwomyn and drag queens are recognized for their efforts in the riots throughout the nation," the petition states. "From the preview alone, we know that will not be happening."

Critics also point out that the film follows the same pattern of Hollywood directors casting cisgender actors to play transgender women, like Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club and Eddie Redmayne in the forthcoming film The Danish Girl.

What has the response from the film makers?

The film's director Roland Emmerich – who is gay – has defended his project and urged people to watch the film instead of judging it by the two-minute long trailer.

"When this film — which is truly a labour of love for me — finally comes to theatres, audiences will see that it deeply honours the real-life activists who were there and all the brave people who sparked the civil rights movement which continues to this day," he said in a statement. "We are all the same in our struggle for acceptance."

Irvine released a similar statement, assuring viewers that the film represents "almost every race and section of society that was so fundamental to one of the most important civil rights movements in living history."

Gay playwright and activist Larry Kramer has also criticised the backlash. Responding to Emmerich's statement, he said: "keeping your film from being seen is only hurting ourselves".