Stonewall Inn
Arguably the most historic and important gay bar in New York City, this gin joint is located on the gay thoroughfare known as Christopher Street in the West Village. The Stonewall Inn is most famous for the stonewall riots of 1969, one of the most seminal moments for the gay rights movement in the history of the United States. The rebellion that begin at this local tavern on June 28th, 1969, paved the way for a generation of gay and lesbian people in New York City fighting for their inalienable rights. In commemoration of the event, artist George Segal erected the sculpture “Gay Pride” in the adjacent Christopher Park. The statues of single sex couples in white plaster remain to this day. Over the years, the Stonewall Inn has changed hands a number of times. After it closed in 1969, it became a bagel shop, a Chinese restaurant, a shoe store, and other things. In the early 1990’s the Stonewall Inn reopened as a gay bar, returning to its illustrious heritage. Although the building looks slightly different than it did in 1969, it still captures the same revolutionary magic that it did almost forty years ago.
During an anti-gay protest outside of Stonewall, the bar's patrons outwitted the activists with a joke about their hair.
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