A Queer Uprising 60 Years Before Stonewall: The 1905 Les Douaires Riot
In the early 1900s, increasing numbers of boys over 16 were sent to Les Douaires, a youth detention facility in Normandy, northern France. Rumors spread about frequent sexual interactions among the detained boys.
The 1969 Stonewall riot, a landmark event in LGBTQ+ resistance to police raids, marked a major turning point in the Western gay rights movement. Today, Pride events are held every June to honor that uprising. However, Stonewall was not the first queer rebellion.
Recent research published in the Journal of Homosexuality uncovered an earlier queer uprising at Les Douaires in 1905—more than 60 years before Stonewall.
Queer Life in 19th-Century France
During the 19th century, an underground queer culture developed in Paris, centered around bars and brothels. Same-sex relationships were also common in all-male institutions such as the military and prisons, though socially condemned.
As the century progressed, anxiety about queer sexualities grew, with these identities increasingly pathologized as medical disorders.
Youth Penal Colonies and Same-Sex Relations
Same-sex relationships became widespread in French youth penal colonies, where working-class boys aged eight to 21 were detained for months or years, often for minor offenses like vagrancy or theft. These institutions forced them into hard agricultural and industrial labor under severe conditions.
Les Douaires was one such colony, holding detained boys under harsh circumstances, where the 1905 riot occurred.
"The late 19th century saw rising anxieties surrounding queer sexualities, which were increasingly being labelled as medical disorders."
"Stonewall was not the first queer rebellion."
Author’s summary: The 1905 Les Douaires uprising reveals an early form of queer resistance in France, predating Stonewall by six decades and highlighting overlooked LGBTQ+ struggles in youth detention centers.