12 New York City Landmarks that Celebrate Pride and LGBTQ+ History

Pride may be full of festivity, parades, parties, celebrations and rainbow themed foods today, but its roots are based in decades of revolutionary times. Thankfully, many are preserved in New York City and open for those looking for a dose of intriguing, celebratory history.

Alice Austen House
@aliceaustenhouse
Now a museum with photographer Alice Austen's work, it was her former residence too. She photographed friends challenging traditional gender norms, which allowed the site to become a National LGBT Historic Site.

Audre Lorde's House
Designated a New York City landmark, the residence of New York State Poet Laureate and civil rights activist Audre Lorde and her partner Frances Clayton, who stood for the intersection between the black female identity, feminism, and civil rights.

Gay Activist Alliance Firehouse
Recently made a New York City landmark, this Neo-Grec structure was the headquarters of the Gay Activist Alliance in the early 1970s.

Gay Liberation
Across The Stonewall Inn is the Gay Liberation monument by George Segal. The Parks Department says the 2 men and 2 women are a "result is specific, evocative, and understated, showing the public comfort and freedom to which the gay liberation movement aspired."

James Baldwin Residence
James Baldwin lived here from 1965 till his death. He was a civil rights activist and author who's controversial book, Giovanni’s Room, showcased homosexuality and interracial relationships in the 50s. The building is now designated a New York City landmark.

Judson Memorial Church
@judsonchurchnyc
A Church which speaks for civil rights, provides resources to people with HIV, and has an annual Gay Pride Sunday service for the LGBTQ community.

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

@lgbtcenternyc

Designated a New York City landmark, the LGBT Center was founded in 1983 and is now a source of meeting up and service provisions, including culture programs, family support groups, HIV & AIDS services, etc.

Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art
@leslielohmanmuseum
This is the first museum in the world dedicated to LGBTQ+ art, with more than 24000 pieces from 1900 LGBTQ+ artists. Fun fact, founder Charles Leslie has an apartment in Manhattan that’s full of homoerotic art, dubbed the "Phallus Palace".

New York City Aids Memorial
@nycaidsmemorial
The years-in-the-making New York City AIDS Memorial was finally dedicated and unveiled on World AIDS Day in 2016. Located in St. Vincent’s Triangle in the West Village, named after and located across the St. Vincent’s Hospital with the 2nd dedicated AIDS ward in the country since 1984. The memorial is a tribute to New Yorkers who have lost their lives to AIDS.

Pyramid Club
@thepyramidclub
Rupaul's first show in NYC took place at this East Village club, which opened in 1979. During the rest of the century, it was the spot for politically-conscious drag performance art.

Stonewall Inn
@thestonewallinn
Touted as 'where pride began', history has it that raids in 1969 began the gay rights movement in the US. Symbolic of the LGBTQ origins, it is a cultural and significant official New York City landmark.

Women's Liberation Center
A New York City landmark, the site is an important meeting space for women's groups, particularly from the lesbian community.

All images are courtesy of NYC LGBT HistoricSites Project and US Department of the Interior/National Parks Service.

Pin Me!