Did you know New York City is the largest city in the United States? It consists of 5 very distinct boroughs each with its own community exhibiting its own lifestyle: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. It’s the most populous city in the United States which in turn makes it full of culture and diversity. It really is such a special city if you ever have the opportunity to live here and be a New Yorker, go for it! Though a visit is fantastic too, especially if you know which LGBT spots to visit and where to find the best lesbian bars NYC.
We often take a lot of pride saying we live in NYC because of the diversity and being able to handle all these different cultures that are thrown at you, but I think the best part of it is being in a city that is recognized for its LGBT pride and community.
Being lesbians in New York is such a freeing place to be because there is such a huge variation of people, you don’t feel outcasted and a lot of times you will run into other lesbians like you. We feel super comfortable being ourselves and really affectionate with one another. There is also just a feeling of rebellion that comes with being in New York. You want to go out and meet people and do the risque things and have the IDC attitude. Generally, most places if not all, are super accepting of LGBT but there are definitely neighborhoods that are queer- er than others.
Lesbian Bars in New York City
New York City is often referred to as the genesis of the LGBT civil rights movement. In June 1969, a police riot erupted at a bar that was known to have the most marginalized people in the gay community: Stonewall Inn. The patrons resisted a police raid that then led to activist groups protesting for more establishments for people to be open about their sexual orientation without being arrested.
The Stonewall Riots influenced so many other areas thereafter to create their own identities and escalated organizations to come up with Gay Pride. The first Gay Pride in US history started on Christopher St. at the Stonewall Inn simultaneously with marches in Chicago and L.A. Stonewall Inn is now a historic landmark and is still one of the most popular LGBTQ+ bars in NYC.
After returning from Israel, I only had a few short days in Germany before I boarded a flight back to New York – just enough time to pack up my clothes and a few other belongings I wanted to bring to New York with me and hug my friends and family goodbye.
When I arrived in New York, I learned that I’d been lucky – had I flown a day later, I wouldn’t have made it to New York, because a massive blizzard hit the city, causing over 1,700 flights across all three airports to get canceled. That blizzard was the first real snowstorm I’ve ever witnessed! Yes, of course we get snow in Germany, but not like this.
Seeing the city get covered in 10 inches (30 centimeters) of snow in the span of a few short hours was an incredible experience for me – I was amazed to see how quickly New York transformed into a winter wonderland. I watched the spectacle from the inside of a warm coffee shop while I was working and couldn’t resist taking a couple of walks through the snow, even though I decided NOT to bring my winter jacket with me to New York (I brought a vest because I figured it’d be enough for my last few days of winter).
The past week has been all about work; the most I got to see of New York was during my runs: Brooklyn Bridge Park with its stunning Manhattan views, across the Brooklyn Bridge (with even better views), the lovely Red Hook neighborhood with its pier and great vistas of the Statue Of Liberty, running in Riverside Park alongside Hudson River and in Central Park. I took a break on Thursday to finally enjoy an outdoor movie – one of the 28 things I love about summer in New York City are the free outdoor movies all over the city – and couldn’t have chosen a better time for a break away from my laptop: a beautiful summer night, A League Of Their Own, good company, a lovely picnic and watching the sunset over the Manhattan skyline.
That night was a nice walk down memory lane in three different ways: This Used To Be My Playground, the theme song of the movie, was the first Madonna song that really got me hooked on her music (I liked her 80s stuff, but it was a bit too pop-y for me), and was the song that started her ‘ballad phase’ – over the next couple of years, she would release some of my all-time Madonna songs, like Rain, Secret, I’ll Remember, Take A Bow, and finally You’ll See, which might be my all-time favorite song of hers.
We’re already super stoked about this year’s NYC Gay Pride. The world’s biggest LGBTI festival takes place next month, from 19-26 June, with this year’s theme being ‘Equality Needs You.’ Managing Director Chris Frederick says the theme ‘serves as a reminder of the continuing fight for full equality and the effect a single individual can have on their world.’
Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company, adds: ‘Whether it’s in the West Village – the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement – Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, the East Village, Williamsburg or Jackson Heights, we encourage visitors and residents to participate in the iconic and vibrant Pride events taking place throughout New York City this June and July.’
Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company, adds: ‘Whether it’s in the West Village – the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement – Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, the East Village, Williamsburg or Jackson Heights, we encourage visitors and residents to participate in the iconic and vibrant Pride events taking place throughout New York City this June and July.’
Here, we look at seven parties, events and activities not to be missed from this year’s jam-packed lineup…