How the Mob Helped Establish NYC’s Gay Bar Scene | HISTORY

Contents:

• HOW THE MOB HELPED ESTABLISH NYC’S GAY BAR SCENE
• THE GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT AND THE MOB
• NEARLY HALF OF GAY, BI MEN UK SEXUALLY ASSLTED, SURVEY FDS
• THE 6 COUNTRI EXECUTE PEOPLE FOR BEG GAY
• POLICE ED TO RAID GAY BARS. NOW THEY MARCH PRI PARAS.
• FROM RENO PRI TO THE GAY ROO: LOLS SAY NEVADA'S LGBTQ+ MOVEMENT HAS E A LONG WAY

HOW THE MOB HELPED ESTABLISH NYC’S GAY BAR SCENE

But between New York’s LGBT muny the 1960s beg forced to live on the outskirts of society and the Mafia’s disregard for the law, the two ma a profable, if uneasy, the gay muny blossomed New York Cy the 1960s, members had few plac to gather publicly. At the time, was still illegal to serve gay patrons alhol, to display homosexualy public or for two gay people to dance together. Unr the guise of New York State’s liquor laws that barred “disorrly” premis, the State Liquor Authory and the New York Police Department regularly raid bars that tered to gay the law saw viance, however, the Mafia saw a goln bs opportuny.

“Fat Tony, ” purchased the Stonewall Inn 1966 and transformed om a bar and rtrant that attracted straight clientele to a gay bar and nightclub. Dpe s ls-than-ial ndns, Stonewall quickly beme a popular statn the gay muny—even somethg of an stutn.

It was the only place where gay people uld openly dance close together, and for relatively ltle money, drag queens (who received a bter receptn at other bars), naways, homels LGBT youths and others uld be off the streets as long as the bar was open. To operate s gay bars, the Mafia greased the palms of the NYPD.

THE GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT AND THE MOB

“Fat Tony, ” for one, paid New York’s 6th Precct approximately $1, 200 a week, exchange for the police agreeg to turn a bld eye to the “cent nduct” occurrg behd closed Photo<em>An NYPD officer grabs someone by their hair as another officer clubs a young man durg a nontatn Greenwich Village after a Gay Power march New York, 1970. David Carter explas his book Stonewall: The Rts That Sparked the Gay Revolutn, that durg a typil raid, bar owners would change the lights om blue to whe, warng ctomers to stop dancg and drkg. Sometim the ps even went to the extreme measure of sendg female officers to the bathroom to verify people’s get around laws that prohibed servg alhol to LGBT patrons, many gay bars—cludg the Stonewall—operated ostensibly as “bottle bars, ” private clubs where members would brg their own alhol.

NEARLY HALF OF GAY, BI MEN UK SEXUALLY ASSLTED, SURVEY FDS

His book, The Mafia and the Gays, the mob also plied the gay flh tra, wh bouncers “pimpg out” patrons.

Apparently, too many high-powered dividuals—cludg Mafia members, police officers and big Hollywood nam—were implited as Stonewall Inn is a bar loted New York Cy’s Greenwich Village that served as a haven the 1960s for the cy’s gay, lbian and transgenr muny.

At the time, homosexual acts remaed illegal every state except Illois, and bars and rtrants uld get shut down for havg gay employe or servg gay patrons. Most gay bars and clubs New York at the time were operated by the Mafia, who paid rptible police officers to look the other way and blackmailed wealthy gay patrons by threateng to “out” them.

THE 6 COUNTRI EXECUTE PEOPLE FOR BEG GAY

Here, protters monstrate outsi the New York gay bar, Christopher's the early hours of June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Inn was raid by police wh no warng. They are pictured at a 1973 rally for gay rights New York P. Sylvia Rivera was a Lata-Amerin drag queen who beme one of the most radil gay and transgenr activists of the 1960s and '70s.

As -founr of the Gay Liberatn Front, Rivera was known for participatg the Stonewall Rts and tablishg the polil anizatn STAR (Street Transvte Actn Revolutnari). After the Stonewall Rts, a msage was pated on the outsi of the board-up bar readg, "We homosexuals plead wh out people to please help mata peaceful and quiet nduct on the streets of the village.

POLICE ED TO RAID GAY BARS. NOW THEY MARCH PRI PARAS.

" This sign was wrten by the Mattache Society–an early anizatn dited to fightg for gay reportg the events, The New York Daily News rorted to homophobic slurs s tailed verage, nng the headle: “Homo Nt Raid, Queen Be Are Stgg Mad.

More and more supporters gathered outsi the bar, chantg slogans like “gay power” and “we shall overe.

”Over the next several nights, gay activists ntued to gather near the Stonewall, takg advantage of the moment to spread rmatn and build the muny that would fuel the growth of the gay rights movement. The Gay Liberatn Front was formed the years after the rts. They are pictured here marchg Tim Square,, Sylvia Ray Rivera (ont) and Arthur Bell are seen at a gay liberatn monstratn, New York Universy, 1970 Marsha P.

FROM RENO PRI TO THE GAY ROO: LOLS SAY NEVADA'S LGBTQ+ MOVEMENT HAS E A LONG WAY

Johnson is seen at a Gay Liberatn Front monstratn at Cy Hall New York, a large crowd memorat the 2nd anniversary of the Stonewall rts Greenwich Village of New York Cy 1971. 1 / 14: RxSome scholars have argued the famo Stonewall rts that sparked the natnwi LGBT movement were as much a ristance agast the mob’s exploatn of the gay muny as they were a stggle agast police harassment and discrimatory laws.

Ined, a handwrten msage chalk on a board-up wdow of the Stonewall Inn after the 1969 rts read, “Gay Prohibn Copt$ Cop$ Feed$ Mafia. ” Two of the ma gay-rights anizatns that me out of the rts, the Gay Activists Alliance and Gay Liberatn Front, actively champned gettg anized crime out of gay Mafia’s stranglehold on New York Cy’s nightlife bs took a huge h wh a seri of high-profile prosecutns the 1980s.

READ MORE: How Activists Plotted the First Gay Pri Paras. Nearly 50 years ago, on June 28, 1969, LGBT people – led by drag queens – rebelled agast a raid by the New York Police Department on the Stonewall Inn gay nightclub. For two nights, gay men and women fought back agast the police until they whdrew.