Celebrate LGBTQ History and Activism on Tuesday, April 21st with a “Sip-In”
Tuesday, April 21st marks the 60th anniversary of the historic “Sip-In” event at Julius Bar in New York, when openly gay people asserted their right to publicly assemble and socialize. Gather your friends and join The Faerie Playhouse and the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana for a national commemoration at Le CaBARet from 5:30 - 7:30pm.
This anniversary event is being coordinated by the NYC LGBTQ Historic Sites Project and other events across the country, offering a chance for people to show up for each other and for LGBTQ history at a time when the community and its history are being marginalized and erased.
In the 1960s, bars risked losing their liquor licenses simply for serving LGBTQ patrons. Building on the work of Black activists who used nonviolent "sit-ins" to force the racial integration of segregated lunch counters and other businesses, members of the Mattachine Society organized the 1966 Sip-In at Julius’ to challenge this discriminatory policy and assert the LGBTQ community’s First Amendment right to assemble. After stating they were gay and requesting service, they were refused — and the moment was covered by the press. The action increased public visibility of the pre-Stonewall LGBTQ rights movement and helped expose discriminatory enforcement, including surveillance and entrapment.
Photo credit: Estate of Fred W. McDarrah
The Sip-In at Julius’ was a key event pre-Stonewall leading to the growth of legitimate gay bars and the development of the bar as the central social space for urban gay men and lesbians. And no place knows the role of bars in LGBTQ history, community and activism better than New Orleans!
The event will include a 15 minute livestream of the anchor event in New York allowing participating events across the country to connect. We will have brief comments from the LGBT+ Archives Project and The Faerie Playhouse along with more information about how you can get involved in preserving LGBTQ history in New Orleans.
Raise a glass, learn about this important moment in pre-Stonewall history and be part of a shared national moment with us!
