The Battle for Gay Rights: Footage from the NYC Department of Records & Information Services

#lgbtq #LGBTQactivists #civilrights #pride #pridemonth #gaypride #nyc #nypd #nypdfilms #nypdsurveillance #surveillance #Stonewall #NYChistory #NYCarchives #NYCDORIS #wnyc #wnyculturalconnections



On Wednesday April 2, 1986, at 10am, in the Board of Estimate Chambers in City Hall, Mayor Edward I. Koch held a public hearing before signing Intro. #2 - the so-called “Gay Civil Rights Bill” that added sexual orientation to New York City’s anti-discrimination laws, protecting queer people’s right to housing, employment and security. Before opening the hearing for comments, he spoke:

“This bill would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in employment, housing and public accommodation. It is long overdue. … A version of this legislation has been before the City Council for fifteen years, and I have testified in its support, both as a Member of Congress and as Mayor. At last, we can have a law that would guarantee justice too long denied to people in the City of New York who have been deprived of the right to earn a living, to obtain shelter or to have access to services and public accommodations simply because they are heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual. At last, we can have a law that would liberate from the fear of discovery, discrimination and violence the thousands of gay men and lesbians—as well as heterosexual men and women whose sexual orientation is misperceived—who live in our city, and would permit them to devote more of their energies, talents and intelligence to their professional and personal lives. At last, we can have a law that would ensure fairness and equality for all of us.”

Take a moment to view historic footage from the Municipal Archives at the NYC Department of Records and Information Services that so vividly tells the story. All footage was recorded either by municipal television channels serving the City or covert NYPD surveillance of the gay liberation movement in the wake of the Stonewall riot of 1969.


Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:06 August 2, 1969
0:17 October 2, 1971
0:46 April 27, 1973
1:25 May 24, 1974
1:53 September 11, 1975
2:28 November 8, 1978
2:54 April 1, 1981
3:24 February 5, 1986
4:32 April 2, 1986
4:54 Closing and QR codes



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Explore our collections to learn more about the history of queer civil rights in New York City:

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The mission of the NYC Department of Records and Information Services is to foster civic life by preserving and providing access to the historical and contemporary records of New York City government and its peoples, as well as ensuring that City records are properly maintained following professional archival and record management practices. The agency makes materials available for diverse communities both online and in person at the Municipal Library and Archives.