On the corner of W. 10th and Waverly Place is a bar. A really old bar. However, this is no ordinary watering hole – this bar made gay history before the Stonewall riots.
"It's almost like a living museum," the bar’s owner Helen Buford told 1010 WINS. "I think it's important for the younger generation to be able to visit this place, understand the significance of what people went through before their time."
And, while you’re at it, you can order one of the best burgers in the Village.
Julius’ History
The building has been around since 1826 and became a bar in 1864. It would remain nameless until 1930 when “Julius'” stuck, believed to come from one of the managers at the time. By the 1960s, it became a popular place for gay men and women. Six years later, it would officially make history.
The Sip-In
While Stonewall gets the credit for being the first major local event in the gay rights movement, it was actually the “sip-in” at Julius' that helped start it all. As an homage to the “sit-in” of the Civil Rights Movement, this was one of the first gay civil rights actions ever to be planned. If Stonewall was the fire that set the LGBTQ community movement ablaze, the “sip-in” was the spark.
On April 21, 1966, the Mattachine Society, one of the first LGBTQ civil rights organizations in the city, set out to challenge the State's Liquor Authority and its rule that known or suspected homosexuals should not be served because it would be considered “disorderly.”
“There was no definition in the law that used the word ‘disorderly,’ but a bar could lose its license if it was 'disorderly.' And how they came to interpret that was the mere presence of gay men and lesbians," Jay Shockley, one of the founders of the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project said. Shockley told 1010 WINS that the motive behind the historic demonstration. "… was a calculated action."
The first bar they went to was closed and the next two served them with no issues. Julius' was the Society's fourth choice for its protest. As expected, they were refused service upon their arrival.
A photo by Fred McDarragh, on display at the NYPL’s Stonewall exhibit called “Love and Resistance,” captured the moment the bartender put his hand over the glass, telling the men they could not be served.
"These were safe spaces," Ken Lustbader, another founder of the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project told 1010 WINS. "And even they were controlled by the Mafia or other types of oppressive tactics, it was the only opportunity for entries to the community to learn about each other's social life, to get job offers, and to be politicized."
The resulting coverage and spotlight on the issue pressured the State's Liquor Authority into modifying its policy to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. The gay rights movement had its first major victory at Julius'.