History of gay bars in kansas city

That bronze marker signifies the city's LGBT activism that not only changed the future of Kansas City, but the rest of the nation. What happened at the State hotel that once stood at the corner of W. You can see their online exhibit: Making History. Many of the organizations had already been around for years.

And so, the National Planning Conference of Homophile Organizations met during a time where you could be fired from your job, arrested for being in a bar, institutionalized, and worse for your sexual orientation. President Dwight D. Eisenhower passed an executive order in that barred gay and lesbian people from working in the federal government.

Soon after, thousands of people were forced out of their jobs. They created a newsletter and magazine that addressed political and personal issues around being gay, while showcasing artwork and poetry from local subscribers. The Stonewall riots ofwhere patrons at the Stonewall Inn bar in New York physically fought against discriminatory police raids, gave way for a new wave of gay liberation movements.

The Homophile movements died down after this. More young activists jumped in, taking a more militant approach to fighting for rights.

BOOKS Lucas Hilderbrand reflects on gay history in 'The Bars Are Ours'

Wheeler is from Kansas City and, after retiring from a year military career, thought about going to either the east or west coast to make a living but realized it was possible at home. The historical marker at Barney Allis Plaza was installed in to mark the year anniversary of the meeting. Hinds says you can drive by the marker and be proud of how far Kansas City has come and the activism still at work.

These changes have taken place in the course of one lifetime," Hinds said. And the thing is, once you get 10, 20, 30 years down the road and you turn around and look behind you, you see the massive, massive changes that occurred because of that day-to-day work. Report a typo.

News Local News Pride Month. Actions Facebook Tweet Email. By: Sarah Plake. New York Public Library. Copyright Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Sign up for the Breaking News Newsletter and receive up to date information.

Click here to manage all Newsletters. Let's Talk: Share your story with us.