How NYC’s gay bars thrived bee of the mob

Contents:

• MAN ARRTED NYC GAY BAR ATTACKS SAID WAS ‘REVENGE’ ON BEHALF OF FEMALE IEND
• HOW THE MOB HELPED ESTABLISH NYC’S GAY BAR SCENE
• WHY DANCG WAS SO IMPORTANT AT THE STONEWALL INN, NEW YORK'S NEWLY-LANDMARKED GAY BAR
• 50 YEARS AFTER THE STONEWALL RTS, IS NYC’S GAY-BAR CULTURE DYG?
• HOW NYC’S GAY BARS THRIVED BEE OF THE MOB

MAN ARRTED NYC GAY BAR ATTACKS SAID WAS ‘REVENGE’ ON BEHALF OF FEMALE IEND

The Stonewall Rts, also lled the Stonewall Uprisg, began the early hours of June 28, 1969 when New York Cy police raid the Stonewall Inn, a gay club loted Greenwich Village New York Cy. For stance, solicatn of same-sex relatns was illegal New York such reasons, LGBT dividuals flocked to gay bars and clubs, plac of refuge where they uld exprs themselv openly and socialize whout worry. However, the New York State Liquor Authory penalized and shut down tablishments that served alhol to known or spected LGBT dividuals, argug that the mere gatherg of homosexuals was “disorrly.

But engagg gay behavr public (holdg hands, kissg or dancg wh someone of the same sex) was still illegal, so police harassment of gay bars ntued and many bars still operated whout liquor licens— part bee they were owned by the Rights Before StonewallThe first documented U.

HOW THE MOB HELPED ESTABLISH NYC’S GAY BAR SCENE

Police raids forced them to disband 1925, but not before they had published several issu of their newsletter, “Friendship and Freedom, ” the untry’s first gay-tert newsletter.

In 1966, three years before Stonewall, members of The Mattache Society, an anizatn dited to gay rights, staged a “sip-” where they openly clared their sexualy at taverns, darg staff to turn them away and sug tablishments who did.

When The Commissn on Human Rights led that gay dividuals had the right to be served bars, police raids were temporarily Stonewall Inn The crime syndite saw prof terg to shunned gay clientele, and by the mid-1960s, the Genove crime fay ntrolled most Greenwich Village gay bars. And was one of the few—if not the only—gay bar left that allowed were still a fact of life, but ually rpt ps would tip off Mafia-n bars before they occurred, allowg owners to stash the alhol (sold whout a liquor license) and hi other illegal activi.

WHY DANCG WAS SO IMPORTANT AT THE STONEWALL INN, NEW YORK'S NEWLY-LANDMARKED GAY BAR

Stonewall's LegacyThough the Stonewall uprisg didn’t start the gay rights movement, was a galvanizg force for LGBT polil activism, leadg to numero gay rights anizatns, cludg the Gay Liberatn Front, Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD (formerly Gay and Lbian Alliance Agast Defamatn), and PFLAG (formerly Parents, Fai and Friends of Lbians and Gays) the one-year anniversary of the rts on June 28, 1970, thoands of people marched the streets of Manhattan om the Stonewall Inn to Central Park what was then lled “Christopher Street Liberatn Day, ” Ameri’s first gay pri para. ”In 2016, then-Print Barack Obama signated the se of the rts—Stonewall Inn, Christopher Park, and the surroundg streets and siwalks—a natnal monument regnn of the area’s ntributn to gay Gallery The 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. 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.

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.

50 YEARS AFTER THE STONEWALL RTS, IS NYC’S GAY-BAR CULTURE DYG?

" This sign was wrten by the Mattache Society–an early anizatn dited to fightg for gay unintified group of young people celebrate outsi the board-up Stonewall Inn after the rts. ”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.

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. A spect was bted Tuday the strg of attacks on a Hell’s Kchen gay bar — and allegedly told ps he was jt “exactg revenge” on behalf of a gal pal fdg wh the club, police said.

On a hot summer night 1969, police raid the Stonewall Inn, a bar loted New York Cy’s Greenwich Village that served as a haven for the cy’s gay, lbian and transgenr muny.

HOW NYC’S GAY BARS THRIVED BEE OF THE MOB

Most gay bars and clubs New York at the time (cludg the Stonewall) were operated by the Mafia, who paid rpt police officers to look the other way and blackmailed wealthy gay patrons by threateng to “out” them. Police raids on gay bars were mon, but on that particular night, members of the cy’s LGBTQ muny cid to fight back—sparkg an uprisg that would lnch a new era of ristance and revolutn.

Acrdg to David Carter, historian and thor of Stonewall: The Rts That Sparked the Gay Revolutn, the “hierarchy of ristance” the rts began wh the homels or “street” kids, those young gay men who viewed the Stonewall as the only safe place their liv. June 29-July 1, 1969: Stonewall be gatherg pot for LGBTQ 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. July 2, 1969: Gay activists prott newspaper rponse to the Village Voice’s verage of the rts, which referred to “the forc of faggotry, ” protters swarmed outsi the paper’s offic.