Skip to Content
Celebrating Canada's 2SLGBTQI+ Communities

FLASHBACK: New York’s First Ever Anti-Gay Raid At The Ariston Baths (February 21, 1903)

February 21, 1903: Today in LGBTQ+ history…

On February 21, 1903, at nine o’clock at night, two undercover officers entered New York’s Ariston Baths. NYC’s police had spent several weeks collecting evidence against men who entered the bathhouse, which they did in conjunction with the Society for the Prevention of Crime. It was the beginning of the first-ever recorded anti-gay police raid on an establishment in the United States. During the next few hours, the two officers spent time observing the bathhouse to gather evidence to incriminate individual patrons, who were later charged.

At 1:45 am, a group of police officers entered Ariston Baths and blocked the exits of the establishment so that none of the 78 men inside could escape.

The raid resulted in 34 arrests and 16 charges of sodomy; the rest were let go with a warning. Twelve of the men were sent to trial that same year (five of those trials have transcripts that have survived the years and are viewable today), and seven of those men received sentences of multiple years in prison.

Of course, this was years before Stonewall. There were no protests or marches to oppose the decision. The men were simply ushered off to jail, victims of early America’s widespread homophobia, and forgotten by history.

Related Articles

November 3, 2024 / Entertainment Latest Life

Chloë Grace Moretz Comes Out As A “Gay Woman”

The actress called herself a “gay woman” in a social media post about the importance of voting in the upcoming 2024 US presidential election

October 11, 2024 / Latest Life

Pride, Progress And Perseverance: Reflections On National Coming Out Day

National Coming Out Day is observed every year on October 11 to support anyone and everyone “coming out of the closet”

October 4, 2024 / Latest Life

Egale Canada Releases “Gallery of Memories” Audiobook To Spotlight Challenges Faced By 2SLGBTQI People Living With Dementia

The free “Gallery of Memories” audiobook features the stories of 10 different 2SLGBTQI older adults living with dementia and a foreword by Canadian icon Jann Arden

Comments

1 Comment

POST A COMMENT

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *