The Most Historic Gay Places in the US
Posted on June 28, 2008
Filed Under Gay News Blog
Some are obvious, some a little less so. But trying to pin down a list of the places where the most influential events of American LGBT History went down is tricky. History is personal; we all interpret it differently. But assembled here is a quick list of some of the places where the LGBT community made history. Some are jubilant and revolutionary, some are painful. But they’re all places that, as you travel around the U.S. this summer, they’re worth stopping to pay tribute.
The Stonewall Inn, Christopher Street, NYC
Every movement has its rallying focal point, its birthplace, its Plymouth Rock. And a little bar on Christopher Street in New York’s Greenwich Village is recognized across the planet as the birthplace of the modern-day LGBT rights movement. Yep, that volatile June 27th night back in 1969 when things got rowdy at the Stonewall has gone down in history that change the course of gay lives worldwide forever. It’s amazing to think that that a crowd of scrappy drag queens, lesbians and gay men (a group that was largely people of color) pushed the edge, finally gathering their courage to fight back against police harassment (kicking off three nights of civil unrest and riots) would send a message globally and historically that gay folks were done being pushed around, no questions asked. It’s a reminder that people and their actions can make a difference. And yes, the place is actually a U.S. National Historic Landmark. Wurk!
And yes, there’s still a Stonewall Inn
in that same location at 53 Christopher Street, right on Sheridan Square. You can visit, have a drink and pay homage in whatever way you choose. The venue itself has changed hands many times through the years, and weirdly, it’s never quite managed to live up to its world-renowned, fabulous pedigree. The club nights there always tend to be a bit wonky and the crowd veers toward a random mix of tourists, city kids and bridge-and-tunnel gays. Yep, the Stonewall today may be many things, but “cool” isn’t one of them. But that’s not the point. The place and what it represents is legendary. And respect is due. Thanks to the antics that went on here 39 years ago, gay life as we know it exists.
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, NYC and more of The Most Historic Gay Places in the US @ 365Gay.com -
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