9. The Stonewall Riots

In 1969 at the Stonewall Inn, a bar frequented by queer people, the patrons were regularly harassed by cops in the West Village neighborhood. On June 28th, the bar’s patrons fought back leading to two nights of rioting. In one account, recounted in Benjamin Heim Shepard recounts the camp style of rioting in his book Queer Political Performance and Protest: “Queer youth formed a Rockette-like kick-line and sang, “We are the Stonewall Girls,” as they thwarted riot cops.” The Stonewall Inn would be landmarked based on its social history in 2015. Check out more notable LGBT landmarks in NYC.