Gwen Shockey

“Located on a mile-long section of Rockaway Peninsula in Queens, Jacob Riis Park was named after the turn-of-the-20th-century social reformer and photojournalist. Historically, New York City beaches have been popular public social gathering places for the LGBT community where they claimed certain sections as their own. By the 1940s the most eastern end of the beach [protected by the Neponsit Hospital complex] had become a documented well-known destination for mostly white gay men to sunbathe and cruise. Lesbian women also claimed a nearby area of the beach by the 1950s. By the 1960s, this area became increasingly popular with a diverse LGBT presence including African American and Latino/a men and women.As a site of activism, the beach was the location of a 1971 voter registration drive led by the Gay Activists Alliance (GAA), one of the first gay rights groups to form after the 1969 Stonewall Uprising. In 1981, the Jacob Riis Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.Though beachgoers have dealt with homophobia here over the years, the area still maintains its queer identity as one of New York City’s popular and diverse LGBT public spaces.”

Ken Lustbader for NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project