“Depravity of a Depth Unknown in the Lowest Slums of London or Paris Can Here Be Found”. The quote that could possibly be used to promote a nightclub in New York City nowadays was actually extracted from a page of the New York Herald, published on January 5, 1892. The newspaper, attempting to defend the so called public morals, was utterly disgusted by The Slide, New York’s first and oldest “undisguised” gay bar. Or a “fairy resort”, as the contemporary press would often describe it. A place with “orgies beyond description”. The Evening World, owned by the publisher Joseph Pullitzer, considered the establishment, located in the middle of Bleecker Street, a “sink of vice and depravity”. When the bar was closed by police and the proprietor Frank Stevenson was convicted of keeping a “disorderly house”, The Slide’s patrons moved to a different bar, the Excise Exchange at Bowery Street. The press persecution continued. “Males Who Bleach Their Hair”, wrote the Evening about the Excise’s staff. The newspaper seemed very disturbed by the number of people who would pack the bar to enjoy live music and be entertained by men in wigs. “The ‘attractions’ at the Excise Exchange are not the women, but the class of men who frequent it. They imitate the dress and manner of women — paint their faces and eyebrows, bleach their hair, wear bracelets and address each other with female names.” Once again, a description that makes us a question: Were they criticizing or advertising? 

Seventy years after The Slide was closed, a lot had changed. The New York Herald and The Evening World were no longer being printed in the United States, while the number of “fairy resorts” had multiplicated in the city. Places like Swing Rendezvous (1938 to 1965), Tony Pastor’s Downtown (1939 to 1967), Starlite Lounge (1962) and Club 82 (1953 to 1973) were welcoming lesbians, gays, transgender people, and crossdressers from all five boroughs, and everywhere else. The queer community was starting to demand changes, and groups like the Mattachine Society and Daughters of Bilitis were using the press to spread their message. But not everything had evolved for the better. Back in the 60s, LGBTQ+ people were considered a group of disorderly conduct and not allowed to frequent bars. And thanks to the power gained by the Police Department during the Prohibition era (1920-1933), cops were more aggressive. They would knock on gay and lesbian bars to violently interrogate and arrest those interacting with someone of the same sex or wearing a piece of clothing not related to their birth gender. Still, the queer people of New York City resisted. 

On June 28th of 1969, Marsha P Johnson and Sylvia Rivera started a protest against the cops at the Stonewall Inn that changed the history of the LGBTQ+ community forever. That night ignited the Gay Liberation Movement, inspiring organizations all over the country to raise their fists and bring the fight to the streets. It all began there, in the middle of Christopher Street, in New York. The world was paying attention to what was happening in the city, and the Big Apple became a symbol of resistance for the queer community. 

The wheel of evolution kept on turning. All of those “fairies'' that were once condemned to party in secret dive bars, now can enjoy more than 40 different bars in New York City. Queer people, who had always been party of the city’s artistic and economical development, are not hiding anymore. We are opening restaurants, and stores, starring in Broadway and television shows, being celebrated in museums, festivals, and art shows, and occupying the streets. Proudly. Loudly. New York is currently home to the largest Pride Parade in the world. Its metropolitan area has the largest population fo LGBT people in the United States (706,000 adults), and the the largest transgender population (50,000).  The city inspired artists like Oscar Wilde, Tennessee Williams, Eve Adams, Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. A melting pot place where drag queens like Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and RuPaul Charles became superstars. A concrete jungle where the rainbow will always shine brighter. 

Gays in Town is a celebration of the long-term relationship between this electric city and the people who are constantly redefining what it means to be free. You will find everything that you need to enjoy NYC at its queerest and, redundantly, at its best - From historical landmarks to the hottest clubs in town, from the piers of West Village to the beach of Fire Island, or from the drag queen brunches to the “disorderly houses with orgies beyond description”. There’s no other place than New York.