“GREENWICH VILLAGE WAS ONE OF THE ONLY PLACES LGBTQ+ NEW YORKERS COULD GO TO BE THEMSELVES WITHOUT FEAR OF POLICE INTERFERENCE”
New York City, 1969. The regular patrons of the Stonewall Inn, a large but discreet tavern in Greenwich Village, gathered in the steamy summer heat on 28 June to enjoy a night of flirting, drinking and dancing. Like many that frequented New York’s gay bars of the era, they were trying to live their lives away from the watchful eyes of the police. But that night a violent turn of events became a paramount step in the fight for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights: the Stonewall Riots changed the course of history for the community all over the world.
At the time, Greenwich Village was one of the only places LGBTQ+ New Yorkers could go to be themselves without fear of police interference. In 1960s New York, homosexual activity, including kissing, dancing or holding hands with someone of the same sex, was illegal. The police were notorious for sniffing out even a hint of ‘deviancy’. Dressing in drag was a criminal offence, drag queens and transgender women were regularly put in handcuffs and carted off to the nearest police station, while lesbians and
