Larry Kramer hits out at Stonewall backlash: “Don’t listen to the crazies”

Award-winning playwright and LGBT activist Larry Kramer has thrown his support behind Roland Emmerich’s forthcoming passion project Stonewall.

When a two-minute teaser trailer for the long-awaited snapshot of the 1969 New York City Stonewall Inn riots was released last week, buzz quickly turned to backlash as commentators across social media accused the Godzilla director of “whitewashing” and erasing the black and trans protestors who were integral to the real-life event.

As an online petition called for a boycott of the film, Emmerich published a statement in response, saying the “labour of love” would honour the “real-life activists” including including Marsha P Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Ray Castro who were among those responsible for sparking the modern civil rights movement.

Joining Emmerich in his endorsement of Stonewall, Kramer encouraged people to not “listen to the crazies”, reports The Huffington Post.

“For some reason there is a group of ‘activists’ that insists on maintaining their prime importance and participation during this riot,” he wrote.

“Unfortunately there seems no one left alive to say ‘it wasn’t that way at all’, or “who are or where the fuck were you. As with so much history there is no way to ‘prove’ a lot of stuff, which allows artists such as yourself (and me I might add) to take essences and attempt to find and convey meaning and truth.

“I sincerely hope this ‘boycott your film’ shit peters out. We are not dealing with another Cruising here. Keeping your film from being seen is only hurting ourselves”.

Words by TROY NANKERVIS.