Michael Venturiello’s Downtown LGBTQ+ Activism Walking Tour of Lower Manhattan share untold stories of downtown LGBTQ+ activism.
Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
Whenever people think about the birthplace of the gay rights movement, the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village undoubtedly comes to mind.
Cops raided the gay club in the early hours of June 28, 1969, leading to days of protests and violent clashes between law enforcement and Village residents. While the Stonewall Uprising undeniably catalyzed the fight for LGBTQ+ equality, many pivotal moments and protests for LGBTQ+ rights happened in lower Manhattan long before Stonewall.
Michael Venturiello, the founder and owner of Christopher Street Tours, usually leads locals and tourists through the Village on his Village Pride Walking Tour.
He was excited to add the Downtown LGBTQ+ Activism Walking Tour of Lower Manhattan to his line-up, made possible by the Downtown Alliance Walking Tour Incubator Grant Program.
Sharing the untold stories of downtown LGBTQ+ activism and the hidden LGBTQ+ history of Lower Manhattan with New Yorkers and tourists, is Venturiello’s form of activism.
“My hope on this tour is that everybody feels empowered and inspired to create change in their own world,” Venturiello said, who wants his excursion to provide a fresh perspective of Lower Manhattan instead of focusing on the usual tourist attractions like the Charging Bull and the Fearless Girl.
The tour focuses on Lower Manhattan’s rich LGBTQ+ history, dating back to the 1840s.
The 2-hour trek starts outside the Castle Clinton National Monument in Battery Park, which was a location of much “mischief,” according to Venturiello.
Venturiello shares the story of poet Emma Lazarus and her roommate, writer Rose Hawthorne Lathrop, with Lady Liberty looming in the background.
After a stop at the sculpture “Figure Balancing on a Dog” by artist Keith Haring, the tour continues…
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