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Note: All travel is subject to frequently-changing governmental restrictions—please check federal, state, and local advisories before scheduling trips. 

From historic places of protest to modern-day murals and monuments, our LGBTQ Civil Rights Trail map helps you hit the road and discover the people and forces that shaped our fabulous queer community.

RELATED: Find LBGTQ-welcoming hotels, travel tips, and more!

 

 

The Orbitz LGBTQIA Civil Rights Trail

Discover the places that have shaped our history, our rights, and our pride as a community by following this map of historic LGBTQ+ destinations across the United States.

Stonewall National Monument: New York, NY

On June 28, 1969, patrons fought back after police raided the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village (it was illegal in New York for bars to serve anyone suspected of being gay). Now, at the National Historic Landmark, you can grab a drink before exploring other nearby parts of Stonewall National Monument, including Christopher Park, a historic site for LGBTQ+ community activism.

Arch Street Friends Meeting House: Philadelphia, PA

On February 23, 1979, activists from across the nation met at the Arch Street Friends Meeting House to plan what would become the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. The march, which took place on October 11 of that year, advanced a national civil rights movement for the LGBTQ+ community. Take a self-guided tour before heading over to the rainbow-marked Gayborhood.

Dr. Franklin E. Kameny Residence: Washington, D.C.

Dr. Kameny’s home served as a meeting place for the Mattachine Society of Washington, which he founded in 1961 to fight for equal social and legal rights for homosexuals. Here, Dr. Kameny developed the civil rights strategies that came to define the modern gay rights movement. The house is on the National Register of Historic Places, though not open to the public.

Key West AIDS Memorial: Key West, FL

Located at the entrance to the Edward B. Knight Pier at Higgs Memorial Beach Park (also a popular gay beach), this beautiful monument carved from Zimbabwe granite includes the names of men and women who died of complications due to AIDS, as well as poems by Kahlil Gibran, Rachel Hadas, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Benches offer visitors a place for reflection.

Pulse Memorial: Orlando, FL

On June 12, 2016, this gay nightclub was struck by tragedy when a terrorist opened fire, killing 49 mostly Black and Latino victims and wounding 68 more. Now part of onePULSE Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to honoring the lives of those who were taken that night, a visit to the site includes dozens of moving tributes. On June 28, President Biden declared it a national memorial.

UpStairs Lounge Arson Memorial Plaque: New Orleans, LA

On June 24, 1973, 32 people were killed by arson during a meeting of the LGBTQ+ Metropolitan Community Church in this New Orleans bar. It remains the deadliest arson attack in New Orleans history and—until the Pulse shootings—the deadliest act of violence against LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. A commemorative plaque sits at 604 Iberville Street in the French Quarter.

Pink Dolphin Monument: Galveston Island, TX

This statue in R.A. Apffel East Beach Park was gifted to Galveston Island in 2014 to celebrate gender and sexual minority communities. It is carved from red sandstone from the Texas coast, while the 243 remaining sandstone pieces were formed into small triangles and buried around the island to insert queer history and hardship into the landscape. Discover the park via a horseback ride.

The Jungle and Juanita’s Historical Marker: Nashville, TN

The Jungle and Juanita’s Place were neighboring establishments known as the first gay bars in Nashville. In 1963, 27 men were arrested in a raid at Juanita’s for “disorderly behavior,” but this did not stop gay men from patronizing the bars, at least until the block was leveled in 1983. The marker sits at 715 Commerce Street, about a mile from the gay bars on Church Street.

Trans Memorial Garden: St. Louis, MO

On October 18, 2015, a group of 60 members of the local trans community transformed a vacant lot at 2800 Wyoming Street (formerly 1471 S Vandervente Ave) into a beautiful garden honoring the lives of trans people that have been lost to violence, as well as to celebrate lives spent together. The garden features Hackberry, Redbud and other plants native to Missouri.

The Legacy Walk: Chicago, IL

The Legacy Walk Rainbow Pylon Streetscape is an outdoor history exhibit memorializing the lives and works of 40 distinguished LGBTQ+ individuals, including Harvey Milk, Jane Addams, James Baldwin, Frida Kahlo, Bayard Rustin, Christine Jorgensen, and many others. It’s located along the 3200–3700 block of North Halsted St, the nightlife hub for Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community.

Equality House: Topeka, KS

Situated right across the street from the rabidly anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church, the Equality House serves as a symbol of compassion, peace, and positive change. Painted to resemble a pride flag, the house also serves as the resource center for Planting Peace, a global nonprofit organization founded for the purpose of spreading peace in a hurting world.

Matthew Shepard Bench: Laramie, WY

On October 6, 1998, two men kidnapped 21-year-old Matthew Shepard, beat him brutally, and left him tied to a fence to die in the freezing cold, solely because he was gay. This quiet tribute to Matthew Shepard at the University of Wyoming campus where Shepard was a student connects his story to the landscape, to his community, and to America’s queer cultural legacy.

Black Cat: Los Angeles, CA

On February 11, 1967, over 600 citizens gathered outside of this Silver Lake gay (now all-welcoming) bar in peaceful resistance to a New Year’s Eve police raid there. The protest marked a turning point for queer activists nationwide. Walk the scenic Mattachine Steps first (a tribute to the nation’s first lasting gay rights org), and then head here for a brew.

Castro Camera and the Harvey Milk Residence: San Francisco, CA

A plaque now marks the storefront at 550 Castro Street that, from 1973-1978, served as both Harvey Milk’s retail photography shop and headquarters for his four campaigns for public office. A nearby promenade in front of the Castro MUNI station is named in Milk’s honor as is Harvey’s, a bar and restaurant that sits in the heart of the ‘hood at Castro and 18th Streets.

Never Look Away: Portland, OR

This three-story mural at 720 NW Davis St and close to several gay bars, colorfully illustrates eight queer heroes that have shaped LGBTQ+ activism for good, both on local and national levels. Activists represented include: Marsha P. Johnson, David Martinez, Asa Wright, Angelica Ross, Aydian Dowling, Kathleen Saadat, Lynn Nakamoto, and Rupert Kinnard.

Tagged: California, Chicago, Chicago, Colorado, Denver, Florida, Key West, LGBTQIA, Los Angeles, Midwest, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Oregon, Orlando, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, St. Louis, Tennessee, Wyoming

Note: Orbitz compensates authors for their writings appearing on this site.

Sean Dunnington

Sean Dunnington

Sean is an applied playwright who writes stories centered around queer space and place. Using StoryMaps, Sean integrates his passions for storytelling and mapping to better illustrate and examine queer stories. Follow his Instagram @seandunnington.

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