Pride.
It is a word that has been connected to the LGBTQ+ community for decades, but what exactly is it? You can look up the word and one of the many meanings is the “consciousness of one’s own dignity.”
Add the word gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual or queer in front of it and sheds light on a series of events, including Stonewall, that had people at the forefront who knew they deserved the same dignity and respect as everyone else for just being themselves.
For me, those events that happened here in New York and throughout the country during the gay rights movements are always important to remember. If it wasn’t for their actions not just during Stonewall but throughout the years, I would probably have been hesitant and afraid to have come out more than a decade ago.
Everyone is familiar with the importance of Stonewall to the LGBTQ+ community, but are you familiar with these locations that will leave you feeling pride:
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Morningside Heights is home to the last artwork completed by famous artist and gay activist Keith Haring.
“The Life of Christ” is a triptych made of bronze and white gold. Haring completed it weeks before his death from AIDS. Nine of them can be found throughout the world, but this one holds a deeper connection to Haring because his memorial service was at this cathedral in 1990. This altarpiece was blessed during that service.
The cathedral was also one of the first religious institutions in the city to push for marriage equality and one of the first to recognize the impact of HIV/AIDS in the 1980s.
On display in the medical wing of the nave, is also the National AIDS Memorial Book of Remembrance.
1047 Amsterdam Avenue, Morningside Heights www.stjohndivine.org
Bethesda Fountain
There is a piece of LGBTQ+ history in Central Park that predates the gay rights movement by more than a century. No, it is not the Ramble, but rather the Bethesda Fountain.
It was designed by Emma Stebbins. She was a sculptor from New York and the first woman to receive a public art commission from the city. Stebbins was also a lesbian and had a long relationship with stage actress Charlotte Cushman. The two exchanged unofficial marriage vows and considered themselves married.
Stebbins designed the statue that is part of the fountain in 1868 and unveiled it in 1873. It is called “Angel of the Waters” and commemorates the opening of the Croton Aqueduct. She was inspired by the biblical story of the Angel of Bethesda in the Gospel of John.
As a sign of her love, it is widely believed that Stebbins modeled the figure of the angel after her wife, Charlotte Cushman.
Central Park
Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art
New York is home to many firsts in the world, including the world’s first museum dedicated to LGBTQ+ art. You can find it in SoHo at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art.
It opened in 1987 by Charles Leslie and Fritz Lohman, but the idea for the museum goes back to 1969 when the two hosted an exhibit of gay artists in their SoHo loft.
In the following 18 years, Leslie and Lohman would continue to grow their collection. When the AIDS pandemic hit, they saved many works from artists dying from AIDS after their families wanted to destroy their artwork out of shame.
Today, the museum has acquired more than 25,000 items from 300 years of queer art.
26 Wooster Street, SoHo www.leslielohman.org
John Friia is the content creator behind Here In NY on Instagram and TikTok. Follow to learn more about hidden history and places to explore in New York City. Instagram: @Here_In_NY TikTok: @HereInNYC
