From left: John Timmins (with jacket over shoulder), Dick Leitsch, Craig Rodwell, and Randy Wicker,
From left: John Timmins (with jacket over shoulder), Dick Leitsch, Craig Rodwell, and Randy Wicker, Julius’, New York City, April 21, 1966. Photo © Fred W. McDarrah..In 1960, according to David Carter, the New York City Police “began a systematic campaign…to close all gay bars.” While no law specifically prohibited homosexuals from gathering or being served in bars, State Liquor Authority (SLA) regulations prohibited bars from becoming “disorderly,” and that was interpreted as not allowing bars to serve homosexuals or allow homosexuals to gather..In an effort to clarify the scope of the regulations—and to challenge the attack on gay bars—members of New York’s Mattachine Society devised a plan that “revealed the extent to which they modeled their activism on the black civil rights movement…They determined that several members of the Society would enter a bar, announce themselves as homosexuals, and ask to be served. If they were refused service…,they would make a complaint against both the bar and the SLA for violating their constitutional rights to free assembly and equal accommodation.”.On April 21, 1966, fifty-one years ago today, Dick Leitsch, John Timmins, Craig Rodwell, and Randy Wicker set out to put the plan in motion, though that proved difficult..The targeted bar—which displayed a sign reading, “If You Are Gay, Please Go Away”—seemed an easy choice. Before the group arrived, however, the manager learned of the protest and simply closed for the day. From there, the men went to two bars on 6th Avenue, where they identified themselves, ordered drinks, and were served..Finally, they went to Julius’, a gay bar at West 10th Street & Waverly Place, where the bartender was willing to serve them until Leitsch convinced him to play along; refusing the group service, he announced, “I think it’s the law.”.The Sip-In, as the New York Times dubbed it, got a great deal of press, and gave Mattachine the ammunition to go after the SLA, which eventually abandoned its unequal application of its regulations..Julius’, for its part, is still in business; a monthly Mattachine party marks the bar’s role in queer history. #HavePrideInHistory #Resist (at Julius) -- source link
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