59th Anniversary of History-Making 1966 “Sip-In” at Julius’ Bar in Greenwich Village

To honor what became known as the 1966 “Sip-In,” you’re invited to Julius’ Bar for an evening in celebration of community and history. Enjoy drinks and a time-traveling playlist of Sixties hits by Kyle Supley’s Out There!

On April 21, 1966, a “Sip-In” was organized by members of the Mattachine Society, one of the country’s earliest gay rights organizations, to challenge the State Liquor Authority’s discriminatory policy of revoking the licenses of bars that served known or suspected gay men and lesbians. The publicized event — at which they were refused service after intentionally revealing they were “homosexuals” — was one of the earliest pre-Stonewall public actions for LGBT rights as well as a big step forward in the eventual development of legitimate LGBT bars in New York City. Through the efforts of the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project, this site was listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places in 2015 and the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. The Project’s advocacy also led to the site’s designation as a New York City Landmark by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2022. ⁠

“The bartender put glasses in front of us, and we told him that we were gay and we intended to remain orderly, we just wanted service. He said, ‘hey, you’re gay, I can’t serve you,’ and he put his hands over the top of the glass, which made wonderful photographs.” — Dick Leitsch, Sip-In organizer and participant