![]() ![]() George Chauncey, identifying the park as a major LGBT social center and cruising ground in his book Gay New York, found that at the turn of the 20th century men met next to Belvedere Castle, by the 1910s benches near Columbus Circle had become a prominent pickup site, and in the 1920s the lawn at the north end of the Ramble was so popular that it was nicknamed “the Fruited Plain.” In the 1920s and ’30s, heavily trafficked by gay men were the areas south of 72nd Street, near Columbus Circle, Bethesda Fountain, and the walkway from the southeastern corner of the park to the Mall, known as “Vaseline Alley” or “Bitches’ Walk.” Chauncey also noted that, as early as 1921, police were sent into the park to entrap and to arrest gay men, including in mass sweeps. ![]() The Angel of the Waters sculpture on the Bethesda Fountain was designed by sculptor Emma Stebbins. Central Park has had numerous associations with the LGBT community since its creation. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |