Exploring the Village's LGBT+ History: From Sexual Health to Civil Rights

Throughout the 20th century, Greenwich Village was at the forefront of the LGBT+ movement in more ways than many people realize. What are some of the sites around the neighborhood that capture its important place in history? It's time to uncover the activism flashpoints and sexual health history that not only defined the neighborhood, but also New York City and the world.

Join New York Adventure Club as we explore Greenwich Village and the pivotal sites and moments in the fight for sexual and reproductive rights throughout the past century.

Led by writer, historian, and licensed New York City tour guide Robert Brenner, this on-the-ground exploration of the Village will include:

• A walk past important sites in the LGBT+ movement, from the church where the first gay “marriages” were performed, a prison where female “prostitutes” were incarcerated, and the movie theater that mainstreamed cross-dressing and bisexuality
• A discussion of important LGBT+ moments, including the riot that launched the modern LGBT+ rights movement and the "sip in" that preceded the riot by three years
• The story of the former St. Vincent Hospital, which served New Yorkers from 1849 - 2010 and cemented its legacy in LGBT+ history by its central role at the height of the HIV / AIDS epidemic in the 1980s
• A look at the New York City AIDS Memorial, which pays tribute to the 100,000 New Yorkers who have died of AIDS, along with the significance of its location

See you there!

*Please bring a water bottle and comfortable pair of shoes as we’ll be doing a lot of walking!

**This tour ends at Judson Memorial Church located at 55 Washington Square South

About Robert

Robert Brenner is a licensed New York City tour guide, a certified member of the Guides Association of New York City (GANYC), and an almost lifelong New Yorker. He started exploring the city on his own as a teenager in the 1970s, and moved here permanently in the 1980s. In 2014 he launched his own small, independent, boutique walking tour company, Pig Feet Walking Tours, specializing in offbeat history, culture, and food walking tours; since then he has led walking tours for the Municipal Art Society, the Van Alen Institute, the Historic District Council, the Museum of Sex, and many other organizations. He currently lives in Chelsea with his wife and is pursuing a Masters in New York Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center.

Disclaimer

Event takes place rain or shine.

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Categories: In-Person, Neighborhood Tours