The bar provided a protected environment, with bribes to keep the police away. Places such as Stonewall provided an accepting space for everyone in the gay community who was willing to pay for their drinks and not complain much. The mobster owners were interested in money, rather than social equality. New York law at the time prohibited cross-dressing, dancing, hand-holding, kissing and other displays of public affection between members of the same sex. While not the first protest over gay rights, the ensuing protest and riot made it one of the most famous.Īt the time, many New York bars catering to the LGBT community-a time when that acronym wasn’t even widely used-were owned by organized crime, and many, including Stonewall, did not have liquor licenses. Fifty years ago next month, police raided a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn in New York City.
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