1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: The Stay in History Class. It's a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:07,240 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hi, I'm Eves, and Welcome to This Day 3 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:10,240 Speaker 1: in History Class, a show that uncovers a little bit 4 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:24,560 Speaker 1: more about history. Every day today is at the Day 5 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:30,440 Speaker 1: was a nineteen sixty six, four men from the Madison Society, 6 00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:33,640 Speaker 1: one of the earliest gay rights groups in the United States, 7 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:37,519 Speaker 1: stage a so called sip in at Julius's, a tavern 8 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 1: in New York City. At the time, gay people were 9 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:45,880 Speaker 1: discriminated against in bars. There was not an outright law 10 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 1: that prohibited bars from serving gay folks, but the New 11 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:52,600 Speaker 1: York State Liquor Authority did require bars to only serve 12 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:56,240 Speaker 1: people who had orderly conduct, so bar staff would often 13 00:00:56,320 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: deem same sex displays of affection disorderly and refuse gay 14 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:04,080 Speaker 1: people's service. If a bar did serve gay people, it 15 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:07,039 Speaker 1: faced the threat of having its liquor license revoked and 16 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:11,479 Speaker 1: being raided by police. So to protest this discrimination, member 17 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:15,120 Speaker 1: of the Madison Society New York chapter Dick Leitch, decided 18 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:17,960 Speaker 1: to stage a sip in, inspired by the sit ins 19 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 1: of the Civil rights movement. His fellow Madison Society members 20 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:26,240 Speaker 1: Craig Rodwell and John Timmins joined him and the demonstration. 21 00:01:26,959 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: The plan was for them to go to a bar 22 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:31,319 Speaker 1: and tell the bartender that they were gay, and if 23 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:34,480 Speaker 1: the bartender refused them service, then they would sue the 24 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:38,360 Speaker 1: bar and the liquor authority. So the men invited four 25 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:42,080 Speaker 1: newspaper reporters to cover the sip in, and just afternoon 26 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:45,920 Speaker 1: on April nineteen sixty six, they met with the reporters 27 00:01:45,959 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: at the Ukrainian American Village Hall, the bar they planned 28 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:52,120 Speaker 1: on starting at that proudly displayed a sign saying if 29 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 1: you're gay, please stay away, but the bar shut down 30 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 1: after they realized reporters were hanging around for a gay 31 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 1: right demonstration, so the men moved the party across the 32 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 1: street to a club called The Dom, which also was closed. Finally, 33 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 1: they got to a bar called Howard Johnson's and set 34 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 1: in a corner booth. They handed the waitress and note 35 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:18,680 Speaker 1: that set the following, we are homosexuals. We believe that 36 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:22,120 Speaker 1: a place of public accommodation has an obligation to serve 37 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:25,200 Speaker 1: an orderly person, and that we are entitled to service 38 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:28,919 Speaker 1: so long as we are orderly. But they didn't get 39 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:31,680 Speaker 1: the response they were hoping for. Not only did the 40 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:33,760 Speaker 1: guys get their drinks. They got them on the house. 41 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:37,080 Speaker 1: They moved on to a tiki bar owned by the 42 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:41,120 Speaker 1: mafia called Waikiki, where they were also served without question. 43 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 1: So they decided to go to Julius's, which was a 44 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 1: gay bar, but had been raided just days before, so 45 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:50,480 Speaker 1: it was under the threat of having its liquor license 46 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 1: taken away. Madison Society member Randy Wicker joined them at 47 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:59,119 Speaker 1: the bar. Sure enough, the bartender at Julius's refused them 48 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:02,959 Speaker 1: service after they announced they were gay. The New York 49 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:06,320 Speaker 1: Times issued an article called three Deviants and by exclusion 50 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 1: by bars the next day. Two weeks later, the Village 51 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 1: Voice ran a story on the event, since the Sippen 52 00:03:12,919 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 1: got some coverage. Donald S. Hosteader, the chairman of the 53 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:19,840 Speaker 1: State Liquor Authority, responded by saying that s l A 54 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:23,200 Speaker 1: never threatened to revoke the liquor licenses of bars that 55 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: served gay people, and that the discretion to serve was 56 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:30,360 Speaker 1: left up to the bartenders. But soon the Commission on 57 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:34,079 Speaker 1: Human Rights stepped in, saying that it had jurisdiction over 58 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:36,600 Speaker 1: the matter and that gay people have the right to 59 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 1: be served in bars. The Madison Society went on to 60 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:43,920 Speaker 1: sue bars that refused gay people service in New Jersey, 61 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 1: which led to a state Supreme Court case ruling declaring 62 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:51,800 Speaker 1: quote well behaved homosexuals could not be denied service. In 63 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:55,240 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty seven, New York state courts struck down the 64 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:59,400 Speaker 1: idea that gay people were inherently disorderly. The liquor authority 65 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 1: could no longer use that as a reason to provoke licenses, 66 00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:06,640 Speaker 1: and in the years after the ruling, more licensed gay 67 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:10,640 Speaker 1: bars popped up. But even though gay folks could now 68 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:14,400 Speaker 1: be served alcohol at bars same sex displays of affection, 69 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 1: we're still outlawed, and police continue to harass and raid 70 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 1: gay bars. Three years after the stipp in arrayed at 71 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:24,880 Speaker 1: a gay bar in Greenwich village called the Stone Wall 72 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:27,880 Speaker 1: End led to an uprising pivotal and the l g 73 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:31,919 Speaker 1: B t Q rights movement. I'm Eve step Cote and 74 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:34,880 Speaker 1: hopefully you know a little more about history today than 75 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:38,240 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. And if you'd like to follow us 76 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:41,680 Speaker 1: on social media, you can find us at T d 77 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:48,039 Speaker 1: i h C Podcast on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Thanks 78 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:50,680 Speaker 1: for showing up. We'll meet here again tomorrow.