Open for 30 years, this West Village bar welcomes everybody but is notable for being founded and operated by lesbians. There are 21 remaining lesbian bars in the United States, and Henrietta Hudson is one of the oldest ones left. Want to learn more about Fire Island? Listen to the Bowery Boys podcast “A Very Gay History of Fire Island.” Henrietta Hudson Check out their socials to see if drag legend Lady Bunny is spinning her “Disco Teas” -usually on Sunday afternoons and free.
The Monster opened in the West Village in 1981 and is still thriving today with outdoor bar seating, a piano bar, and a downstairs disco. Notice the bar logo (based on a Coney Island sea creature) and historic art around the interior. “Host to the Homos since the 1970s” The Monster has roots in Fire Island and Key West - two other historic gay meccas. History aside, don’t miss the burgers here. You can listen to The Bowery Boys episode on this important moment in New York’s LGBTQ story. On Apbefore Stonewall - activists staged a “sip in” here to protest the New York State Liquor Authority’s regulation that prohibited bars from serving homosexuals. One of the oldest bars in town, Julius opened in 1826 before attracting a gay clientele in the 1950s. Julius’ is maybe the granddaddy of gay bars in the city. The walls alone will tell you about a century worth of New York stories. Grab a cocktail and feel the history here. Photo: waffleboy 5 spots to celebrate Gay History in New York CityĪnd if you’re looking for storied places to celebrate Pride in New York City this year, we’ve got some faaaaabulous suggestions. You can’t beat that.Grab a seat to toast Pride at Julius’ Bar. It’s like an encyclopedia there of various interests and talents. “You always find somebody who’s an expert in something. But that same laidback, welcoming atmosphere is what has kept Bernardin returning time after time. Today when you walk into Julius’, the humble interior belies its significant role in the gay rights movement. With the photo and story captured by the press, the “Sip-In” participants finally had their case, sparking an investigation from the New York City Commission on Human Rights and a successful challenge to the law in court. There, the management ( playing along to help make the point) refused to serve the men drinks. On April 21, 1966-three years and two months before the Stonewall riots-after trying out a few other establishments, the Mattachine members eventually arrived at Julius’. So, taking their cue from the civil rights sit-ins of the era, members of the Mattachine Society-one of the first gay rights groups in the country-decided to stage a “Sip-In” where they would go into an establishment, declare they were gay, and, if denied service, sue for the right to be served. By the 1950s into the 1960s, Julius’ was attracting primarily gay men, most of whom tended to be white, middle-class, college-educated, and closeted (as opposed to the more racially diverse and working-class patrons at Stonewall Inn).Īt that point in time, however, the New York Liquor Authority prohibited serving alcohol to “disorderly” patrons, a category extended to include homosexuals.
Slowly, the working class crowd gave way to a creative class crowd-one that, in Bernardin’s words, lent a “certain sophistication” to the place that likely helped gay patrons feel more comfortable there. After World War II, thanks to a music venue called Nick’s around the corner, Julius’ began to attract musicians who came over after their shows to take advantage of cheaper drinks. The bar became known as Julius’ during its Prohibition-era stint as a speakeasy. It’s kind of everybody’s living room.” Built as a dry goods store in the 1840s, back when Waverly Street was known as Factory Street due to the wool carding building nearby, the business became a drinking establishment in the 1860s-a moment in time when the multitude of piers along the Hudson River led to a similar multitude of drinking houses for the local laborers and working-class residents. Tom Bernardin, the “unofficial” historian and long-time regular at New York’s oldest gay bar, describes the neighborhood dive as “very much like Cheers.