Image taken from First Crowdfunding campaign
With states reopening many patrons of restaurants, bars, pubs and taverns are discovering their favorite place is struggling to keep afloat, or shutting down completely. The Stonewall Inn, a New York City city favorite and a historic landmark for LGBTQ+ community is one such place struggling financially to survive.
According to PinkNews, the owners said: “We are reaching out because like many families and small businesses around the world, The Stonewall Inn is struggling… Even in the best of times it can be difficult to survive as a small business as we now face an uncertain future.
“Even once we reopen, it will likely be under greatly restricted conditions limiting our business activities.”
The current Stonewall Inn, on 53rd Christopher Street, opened in 1993 and has served as a national historic place for LGBTQ+ people for 51 years, it celebrates the Stonewall riots—the turning point of the Civil Rights Movement for LGBTQ+ people. The current Stonewall was the first LGBT site in the country to be listed on the National Register of Historic places in 1999, and was eventually named a National Historic Landmark since 2000 (according to nyclgbtsites.org). Although the inn, in my opinion, is a little less exciting inside, it still serves as a cultural icon for LGBTQ+ to flock to whenever they’re in town.
In response to the Stonewall Inn falling on hard financial times, organizers have come together to create two crowdfunding campaigns in an attempt to keep the establishment open. The first crowdfunding campaign seeks to raise $50,000 for the venue itself, while the second crowdfunding campaign looks to raise $60,000 for the staff of the Stonewall Inn.