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New York City has been described as the gay capital of the world and the central node of the LGBTQ+ sociopolitical ecosystem. It is home to one of the world's largest and most prominent LGBTQ populations.[4] LGBT Americans in New York City constitute the largest self-identifying lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities by a significant margin in the United States. Greenwich Village in Lower Manhattan was the site of the 1969 Stonewall uprising, and then spawned several foundational organizations in the emerging gay liberation movement. These events are widely considered to be crucial to the founding of the modern gay rights movement in the United States, as well as having worldwide impact.[5] As of 2005, New York City was home to an estimated 272,493 self-identifying gay and bisexual individuals.[6] The New York metropolitan area had an estimated 568,903 self-identifying LGBT residents.[6] New York City is also home to the largest transgender population in the United States, estimated at 50,000 in 2018, concentrated in Manhattan and Queens.[7]
Brian Silverman, the author of Frommer's New York City from $90 a Day, writes that the city has "one of the world's largest, loudest, and most powerful LGBT communities", and "Gay and lesbian culture is as much a part of New York's basic identity as yellow cabs, high-rises, and Broadway theatre".[8] LGBT travel guide Queer in the World states, "The fabulosity of Gay New York is unrivaled on Earth, and queer culture seeps into every corner of its five boroughs".[9] In 2022, LGBT advocate and entertainer Madonna stated metaphorically, "Anyways, not only is New York City the best place in the world because of the queer people here. Let me tell you something, if you can make it here, then you must be queer"/[10] Comedian Jerrod Carmichael joked, "That's actually why I live here... if you say you're gay in New York, you can ride the bus for free and they just give you free pizza; if you say you're gay in New York, you get to host Saturday Night Live. This is the gayest thing you can possibly do. We're basically in an Andy Warhol fever dream right now."[11] In 2022, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced a billboard campaign to woo Floridians to a significantly more supportive environment for LGBTQ+ residents in New York.[12]
The following represents a partial list of notable LGBT New Yorkers.
