The Mattachine Society Sip In of 1966

In the 1960's it wasn't illegal for homosexuals to patronize bars in New York City, but the State Liquor Authority often raided and fined bars that served gays under the guise of "disorderly conduct." Frustrated with being refused service, the New York Chapter of the Mattachine Society, the oldest gay rights organization in the U.S., staged a "sip in," modeled after the sit ins of the civil rights movement.