'Stonewall' Film [TRAILER] Upsets LGBT Community: Excludes Transgender, Black Activists?

The trailer for director Roland Emmerich's new film Stonewall just dropped last week. And while many assumed the LGBT community would champion the film, it looks like things have gone the other way. Of course, they did support the movie at first, acknowledging that Emmerich's film would undoubtedly promote equality, but after catching a glimpse of the trailer, it looks as if they're thinking otherwise. Specifically because the trailer seems a bit too white and doesn't acknowledge the transgender and black activists during the Stonewall Riots.

GLAAD's CEO recently told Variety, "Millions of moviegoers all across the world will see the harms of anti-LGBT discrimination and learn about the historic riots that forever changed equality in America."

But, sadly, that was before the trailer was dropped...

Since the trailer was released, Huffington Post reports that over 22,000 people have signed a petition that claims they will NOT see Stonewall because "they believe the movie is going to present a version of history that focuses on white cisgender men to the exclusion of everyone else" – namely the black and transgender activists.

The anger started when 18-year-old "transwomyn of color" Pat Cordova-Goff created the petition, calling the film a "whitewashed version of queer history."

Cordova-Goff further noted that it is "time that black and brown transwomyn and drag queens" be recognized for what they did during the Stonewall Riots.

Despite the backlash, Emmerich believes that once audiences see the film, they will note that it "deeply honors the real-life activists who were there."

Stonewall stars English actor Jeremy Irvine as Danny, a boy who moves from Kansas to New York City and quickly finds himself in the middle of the Stonewall Inn – and ultimately becomes a key part of the famed riots.

The film will be released this coming Sept. 25.