‘Places Of Pride’ Historic LGBTQ Sites Highlighted On LinkNYC Kiosks
June 23, 2023
By: Peter Senzamici
A partnership with the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project helped create the city’s first map of LGBTQ historic sites.
UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — During the last weekend of Pride Month, all New Yorkers can learn a bit more about the LGBTQ history in their own neighborhoods just by taking a walk around.
This weekend and throughout the entire month of June, LinkNYC partnered with the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project, a scholarly initiative and educational resource that has contributed to the creation of the city’s first map of LGBTQ historic sites.
“Our mission at LinkNYC is to help New Yorkers connect with each other, and our relationships with community organizations help us foster this connection through technology, education, and the promotion of New York City values like equity and diversity,” said Nicole Robinson-Etienne, LinkNYC’s director of external affairs.
The fact is, LGBTQ history is all around us.
“Sites of Pride” will highlight local historical sites — from the 17th Century to the millennium — all over the city on over 3,600 LinkNYC screens in the Big Apple.
They also identify vital gathering spaces, including bars, clubs, and community centers, which, until recently, were often the only places where LGBTQ individuals could truly be themselves, given the limitations in their personal and professional lives.
For example: many people know that Andy Warhol lived on the Upper East Side, but did you know that the hugely influential Gay Activists Alliance was founded in 1969 inside Jim Owles’ East 61st Street apartment?
LinkNYC also partnered with The Gatekeepers Collective for Pride Month, a self-reclamation center where participants commit to unlearning internalized racial and sexual oppression, integrating their multiple identities, aligning with their leadership potential, and becoming proactive change agents in their communities.
“LGBTQ visibility is powerful tool, and any chance to partner with allies can educate the public and lead to larger conversations about equality and acceptance,” said Ken Lustbader from the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project. “There are important historical sites all around our city, and we are proud to partner with LinkNYC to bring these valuable sites to New Yorkers this Pride Month.”
Other examples of sites on the interactive map include:
- Pyramid Cocktail Lounge, 101 Avenue A
- Frank O’Hara’s Residence, 441 East 9th Street
- Ernestine Eckstein’s and Allen Ginsberg’s Residence, 437 East 12th Street
- Stewart’s Cafeteria, 116 Seventh Ave South
- Mattachine Society Office, 59 Christopher Street
- Stonewall National Monument at Christopher Park
- Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop, 15 Christopher Street
- Circle Repertory Company Theater, 99 Seventh Ave South