PRIDE
TRIPS NYC’s must-visit LGBTQ sites By Brian Scott Lipton
HISTORY IS SOMETIMES made through the most unexpected of events. In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, New York City police made a raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in the city’s West Village area—a fairly routine occurrence that LGBTQ patrons were faced with on a daily basis in their desire to spend evenings among their own people. But for the first time, the bar’s patrons not only fought back, but the incident led to days of protests outside the bar, an event which is now considered the first big step in the so-called “Pride” movement. Unsurprisingly, New York City commemorates the 50th anniversary of this landmark event as the sponsor of “World Pride NYC/Stonewall 50,” a celebration of the LGBTQ community that includes a special “Opening Ceremony” on June 26 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, featuring such entertainers as Whoopi Goldberg, Cyndi Lauper and Chaka Khan, and the annual NYC Pride March and PrideFest, held in Lower Manhattan on June 30. However, whether or not you’re in town those days, there are other less crowded ways to mark this historic moment by visiting some special sites and places that are reminders of the people who fought not only in 1969, but both before and afterward, to further the cause of LGBTQ rights. STONEWALL INN/ STONEWALL NATIONAL MONUMENT The Stonewall Inn (53 Christopher St.), one of Manhattan’s few remaining gay bars, still operates much as it did 50 years ago, although its clientele is far more diverse. (Indeed, anyone can feel comfortable stopping in for a drink or even a Diet Coke.) More
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IN NEW YORK | JUNE-JULY 2019 | INNEWYORK.COM
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importantly, the bar is now part of the Stonewall National Monument, which notably includes Christopher Park, just outside its doors, where one can find George Segal’s “Gay Liberation” sculpture—unveiled in 1992—which features two standing men and two seated women in natural poses. PLAYWRIGHTS’ SIDEWALK AT THE LUCILLE LORTEL THEATRE Just down the street from the Stonewall Inn is the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher St.), one of Off-Broadway’s most notable showplaces for new work and revivals by both established and up-and-coming playwrights. Just as important, though, is what’s right outside the theater’s front doors: the Playwrights’ Sidewalk, where built-in stars commemorate the names of dozens of this country’s scribes, including such major figures in the LGBTQ community as Tony Kushner, Terrence McNally, Larry Kramer, Edward Albee, Charles Busch and Mart Crowley (whose celebrated preStonewall play “The Boys in the Band” received a Tony Award-nominated revival on Broadway in 2018). NYC AIDS MEMORIAL / THE CENTER The aftermath of gay liberation led to a period of sexual freedom previously unenjoyed by many members of the LGBTQ community—too many of whom eventually fell prey to the deadly disease of AIDS. Their memories can be honored by a visit to the NYC AIDS Memorial (200-218 W. 12th St.), which features a triangular steel canopy, a central granite water fountain and a series of benches per-
PHOTOS: DIANA DAVIES, “STONEWALL INN,” 1969, NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY, MANUSCRIPTS AND ARCHIVES DIVISION; GEORGE SEGAL, “GAY LIBERATION,” MICHELE VACCHIANO/SUTTERSTOCK.COM; SIGNED ALBUM COVER, “JUDY AT CARNEGIE HALL,” APRIL 23, 1961, ©CARNEGIE HALL ARCHIVES
1 The Stonewall Inn gay bar, photographed by Diana Davies in 1969. 2 George Segal’s “Gay Liberation” sculpture, part of the Stonewall National Monument in the West Village. 3 The live recording of gay icon Judy Garland’s historic 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall continues to sell and stream well. 4 A first edition of Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass.” 5 Diana Davies’ 1970 photo of the Gay Liberation Front is in an exhibition at the New York Public Library. 6 Lesbian sculptor Emma Stebbins’ “Angel of the Waters” is a beloved landmark in Central Park.
