A queer uprising 60 years before Stonewall: the 1905 Les Douaires riot

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 center in Normandy, France. Rumors circulated about frequent sexual interactions among the detained boys.

Context of Queer Life in 19th-Century France

By the late 19th century, an underground queer scene had emerged around bars and brothels in Paris. Same-sex relationships were also common in single-gender institutions such as the military and prisons, though they faced social disapproval. At the same time, queer sexualities were increasingly pathologized and labeled as medical disorders.

Youth Penal Colonies and Les Douaires

French youth penal colonies detained working-class boys aged eight to 21, often arrested for vagrancy or theft. These youths were forced into harsh agricultural and industrial labor for months or years. Les Douaires was one such colony, located in northern France.

The 1905 Uprising

Recent research published in the Journal of Homosexuality revealed a queer uprising at Les Douaires in 1905, over 60 years before the famous 1969 Stonewall riot in New York. While Stonewall is remembered for igniting the Western gay rights movement, this earlier rebellion demonstrates the deep and often hidden resistance within queer history.

"The 1969 Stonewall riot, a pivotal episode of LGBTQ+ resistance to a police raid, was a turning point in the western gay rights movement. Yet, Stonewall was not the first queer rebellion."

"Same-sex relationships had become commonplace in some French youth penal colonies."

Legacy

Stonewall’s legacy continues with annual Pride events in June, but the 1905 Les Douaires riot highlights the overlooked history of queer resistance in Europe decades earlier.

Summary: The 1905 Les Douaires riot reveals that queer resistance predates Stonewall by over 60 years, underscoring a longer, hidden history of LGBTQ+ uprising in France’s youth penal colonies.

The Conversation — 2025-11-07