A walk through time: 'Gay Bars That Are Gone' tour

ByBrittany Winderman, Isabella Wojnarowicz and Rolando Pujol Localish logo
Friday, June 23, 2023
A walk through time: 'Gay Bars That Are Gone' tour
A walk through time: 'Gay Bars That Are Gone' tourLost history is being unearthed in this walking tour.

NEW YORK -- From queer loft parties to lesbian tea rooms, New York City's history is filled with LGBTQ+ spaces that have been buried through time. Now, that history is being unearthed in a walking tour.

"Gay Bars That Are Gone" is a yearly walking tour through lower Manhattan that visits sites of historic gay bars, examining the impact each has made not only on the LGBTQ+ community, but the club and music scenes of New York as well.

This tour aims to keep the memories of these places alive while uniting the community around them. "So many political movements and culture was created in these places," said tour guide Michael Ryan of the importance of the tour.

Kyle Supley, who runs the tour with Ryan, spoke of the significance of revisiting these otherwise forgotten places.

"You can kind of feel the souls of the people who gave us what we have today, and the rights we have today, that fought for it, that died for it," Supley said.

Learn more about the tour here.