The Mafia and LGBT

I am proud of my Greenwich Village and my heritage. Just before summer kicked in early June 1969, the Stonewall Inn riots occurred. I’m not sure how many LGBTs know of this riot on Sheridan Square in Greenwich Village. The cops had enough of the gays and decided to raid the gay bar. This was the beginning of the gay movement.

This was actually a big mistake by the local police precinct; the “boys” owned the bar. When I refer to the “boys,” I mean the Mafia. They owned all the gay bars in the village. Gays were an everyday, matter of fact, occurrence in the village. The Italians paid them no mind; they didn’t hurt anyone. Tea Roooms, as they were called, sprung up, “Black Rabbit,” “One Potato,” where I actually worked a couple of bar shifts; it’s a long story how I wound up working there. The manager’s name was Bunny. He was gay and connected to the “boys.” My sisters had gay friends in elementary school. Everything was kept quiet, all behind closed doors, until that night in June, when 1,000 protesters came out of the closet and supported the Stonewall Inn. Not all were gay; many straight Villagers joined the protest.

The cops were brutal with their batons. This was long before “The Gay Officers Action League” was born. The cops and the “boys” always got along until that night. I guess there was a “sit down” between the two, and as expected, the “boys” won the battle. When it comes to money, don’t fuck with them. I suppose the Mafia helped the Gay Rights Movement.