The Stonewall Inn, a cornerstone of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, is at risk of shuttering after being closed for three months due to coronavirus.
The Greenwich Village bar – the first designated LGBTQ+ monument in America, and the site of the famed 1969 Stonewall riots – has launched a crowdfunding campaign to prevent it from closing for good.
“We are reaching out because like many families and small businesses around the world, The Stonewall Inn is struggling. Our doors have been closed for over three months to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of patrons, staff, and the community,” said the campaign organisers.
“Even in the best of times it can be difficult to survive as a small business and we now face an uncertain future... We resurrected the Stonewall Inn once after it had been shuttered, and we stand ready to do it again, with your help.”
The Stonewall riots of 1969 was a crucial and era-defining moment in the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights. Police descended on the bar on the grounds of carrying out alcohol and licensing checks, but the homophobic and transphobic police force was met with resistance from the patrons, including Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera.
Help save the Stonewall Inn and support its staff here.