THE STONEWALL INN, an international symbol of gay liberation, originally was a Mafia-owned, lackluster gay bar frequented primarily by drag queens and male hustlers.  The June 27, 1969 riots at this Greenwich Village bar -- named after a Civil War Confederate General "Stonewall" Jackson -- would spur the modern gay rights movement.  In order to understand the significance of what occurred that summer night, the events must be put into the context of the times. In 1969, a gay person in New York could be arrested simply for having a drink at a bar with a friend.  New York State laws, as laws in most states, forbid homosexuals from congregating together.  The New York State Liquor Authority was authorized to close bars and taverns serving liquor to gay and lesbian patrons.  The police need not have a legitimate reason to raid a gay bar.  In the Stonewall’s case the reason given for the raid was that the establishment was selling liquor without a license.  Gay bars might also be raided if the bar’s owners had not make payoffs to the police.  

 

In GAY NEW YORK, author George Chauncey notes that laws during this time not only criminalized behavior by gay men but “their association with one another, their cultural styles, and their efforts to organize and speak on their own behalf.”  These laws were not always enforced, but they could be at any time, and police harassment of gays was not uncommon.  The news here that June evening was not that the bar had been raided, but that the drag queens and gays fought back; a routine police raid became five days of rioting.  The riots have been attributed, in part, to the death of and mourning for gay icon, Judy Garland, whose funeral was held the very same day the riots began.   

 

The Stonewall riots are now celebrated across the nation and worldwide every June with gay pride parades and festivals.  Sheridan Square Park has both a bronze statue of General Sheridan by Joseph P. Pollia (installed 1936) and a Gay Liberation statue (second photo), depicting two same-sex couples (male and female), by George Segali (installed 1992). On or near Christopher Street numerous gay bars can be found.  They include:  the Stonewall, Julius, the Monster, Boots and Saddles, Ty's and many others.

 

Gay Street (bottom), a curving and quaint street in the heart of the most notoriously gay neighborhood in the City, is the shortest street in New York City.  Originally a stable alley, Gay Street runs from Christopher Street one block south to Waverly Place  (This photo encompasses much of the street.)  The Gay Street sign has the distinction of being the most stolen New York City street sign and must often be replaced.  Ironically, the street’s name has nothing to do with the modern gay rights movement.  Sources differ on how the street got its name in 1834.  Some say the name honors Sidney Howard Gay, an abolitionist and editor of the Anti-Slavery Standard. No matter, the street has a colorful and lively history.  By Revolutionary War times, it was a hangout for black musicians and freed slaves, some of whom worked as servants to wealthy families in Washington Square.  During Prohibition, several speakeasies operated on the street.  NYC Mayor Jimmy Walker (1926 - 1932) lived at the 12 Gay Street townhouse.   Fourteen Gay Street was the home of author, Ruth McKenney, whose novel, My Sister Eileen, became a film with Jack Lemmon, Janet Leigh and Bob Fosse in 1955 and was also turned into the Leonard Bernstein/Betty Comden & Adolph Green Broadway musical Wonderful Town (1953), with the song “Ohio,” whose lyrics lament: “Why, Oh Why, Oh, Why, Oh, Why Did I Ever Leave Ohio?”  Now why in the world would anyone living on this fantastic Village street want to go back to OHIO?