Patrons gathered at Julius’ Bar on April 21 to recognize the 59th anniversary of the historic day in 1966 when four out gay men demanded a drink in a successful attempt to bring attention to homophobic laws barring establishments from serving queer customers.
It was on April 21 of 1966 when a group of gay men with the Mattachine Society — Dick Leitsch, Randy Wicker, Craig Rodwell, and John Timmons — brought a Village Voice photographer along on a bar-hopping adventure to see which bars would refuse to serve them because of their sexual orientation. They thought they would be rejected, but some of the first bars they hit were closed — and when they found open bars, the bartenders were actually willing to serve them drinks.
Finally, the men arrived at Julius’ Bar, which was not officially known as a gay bar at the time but drew gay patrons nonetheless. The photographer in tow took what became a powerful picture of a bartender’s hand covering a glass to signal that the gay men were not allowed to drink there. Authorities had recently raided the establishment, making it more likely that the bar would comply with the state’s liquor law that banned bartenders from serving queer people.
Known as the oldest gay bar in the city, Julius’ has been recognized by the city for its historical significance: In 2022, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously designated it as an official city landmark, even though the building was already protected because it sits within the landmarked Greenwich Village Historic District.
“[Landmarking] the bar is very important because it marked one of the few sites that really predate even Stonewall in the beginning of the movement,” Wicker told Gay City News after the bar was landmarked.
Wicker returned to Julius’ Bar for the sip-in anniversary on April 21. See some photos below:
