Pride In The West Village

Christopher Street
New York, NY 10012

The area of Christopher Street and the Hudson River piers in the West Village is certainly among the most queer-friendly and historically significant places for the gay community in the world.

For decades, this area has been frequented by generations of Gays and Lesbians who found comfort in the bohemian atmosphere that has always reigned in this part of town.

This neighborhood made of cute little townhouses, brownstones and intricate tree lined streets has grown to become a haven and a rallying point for all the Lesbian, Gay and Transgender communities of the New York region.

The West Village is also ground zero for the modern LGBT civil right movement, as it used to house the famous Stonewall bar where took place the famous riots of summer 1969 in opposition of police harassment against queer people.

During the 70's, in the wake of the Stonewall rebellion, the West Village blossomed to become the epicenter of New York's gay life, with many bars opening along Christopher Street, and the nearby Piers turning into a major cruising area.

This long strip of concrete decks, warehouses and disaffected industrial buildings located along the Hudson Rivers provided the perfect setting for men seeking anonymous encounters and quick sexual favors, away from the scrutiny and the crowded streets of Downtown Manhattan.

Through these years of sexual liberation and disco craze, the Village became a Mecca for all the was at forefront of the sexual liberation movement,

As the years passed, and gay men became more accepted and visible within the mainstream society, the Village has remained a refuge for those still struggling with the stigma of being queer within their own communities. In particular, the LGBT youth from the outer boroughs still strongly ridden with homophobia, have elected the West Village as their haven where they can get together in the open, meet their peers and safely explore and develop their own identities.

To these days, the atmosphere of tolerance and sexual freedom is palpable as you walk along Christopher Street, and the presence of gays lesbians and transgender people is strongly visible, bringing a distinctive and unique flavor to this unique neighborhood.

On Gay Pride day, the scene on the Piers is quite spectacular. Thousands of gays, lesbians and transgenders, mostly young people of color from all across the tri-state area, converge to this area to play, bond with their peers and celebrate in the spirit of pride.

These young gays, transgenders and lesbians, mostly African American and Latino invest the place until Monday morning, singing and dancing to the sound of portable boom boxes blasting a mix of reggaeton, hip-hop, and house tunes. Watching these kids hanging out on these Piers takes you back to the glorious era captured in Jenny Livington’s groundbreaking documentary “Paris is Burning”. Except the gritty industrial landscape from that time has been replaced by a sparkling setting of the newly revamped Hudson River Park. Thankfully, the overhaul of the whole Pier to make the area more family friendly in a post-gentrified neighborhood didn’t yet drive away all the queer population which has called the West Village their haven for generations. And on Pride night, the thousands of Latina dykes, ballroom kids, hustlers, homo-thugs, black queens and trannies massed on these Piers is heartwarming scene, keeping alive the spirit of the West Village which always welcomed the sexual outcasts as they sought to escape homophobia and sexism from within their own communities.