It also drew a diverse clientele-whites, blacks, Latinos, gay men and lesbians, drag queens, trans people, sex workers and young homeless men who often slept in nearby Christopher Park. The Stonewall Inn had no liquor license-or even running water-but it was the only homophile bar in New York where dancing was allowed. (The New York State Liquor Authority prohibited serving alcohol serving homosexuals, under the guise of barring 'indecent conduct.') Owners would paid off police to avoid trouble, but the bars were still subject to frequent raids. And establishments catering to queer clientele, none of which were gay-owned, had strong ties to organized crime. In the 1960s, New York City stepped up efforts to close gay bars and entrap homosexual men. June 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, when a raid on a New York City gay bar led to riotous protest by people fed up with being harassed, discriminated against and jailed simply for who they were or who they loved.
