Don Lemon (Photo: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)



In college during the ’80s at Louisiana State University, CNN anchor Don Lemon recalled being “deeply closeted ” — a gay man among his friends, mostly “straight frat guys” — but he was always interested in the gay bar nearby. However, he was not interested in having people see him entering or leaving the venue.

“After I finally built up the liquid courage to do it, I never turned back,” Lemon, 50, explained to the New York Times in a story about gay celebrities talking about their first experiences at gay bars. “The eclectic music, the light show, the cute guys milling about, the club kids dancing on speakers: It was gay heaven! I didn’t have to pretend anymore. I was finally at home.”

On Friday, in a move that shows how things have changed, President Obama designated The Stonewall Inn — site of the 1969 rebellion credited with igniting the modern movement for gay rights — a national monument. On June 28, 1969, about 200 people refused to cooperate with police after one of their regular raids on the bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Instead, the people rioted in what has been called the “Rosa Parks moment” for the gay community.

“Stonewall will be our first national monument to tell the story of the struggle for LGBT rights,” Obama said in a statement. “I believe our national parks should reflect the full story of our country, the richness and diversity and uniquely American spirit that has always defined us. That we are stronger together. That out of many, we are one.”

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Obama’s announcement comes 11 days after the shocking mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., that left 49 people dead and 53 others injured. The tragic event has not only prompted a new national conversation about gun control but also one about the importance of gay bars as a place of joy, discovery — and, at times, shelter for the LGBTQ community.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper, who broke down on-air while reading the names of the victims at Pulse, underscored the importance of such a place.

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Anderson Cooper (Photo: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)

“I can’t tell you how many bars and clubs I’ve been to over the years,” the 49-year-old told the newspaper. “Every gay man in America remembers the first time they went to a gay bar and how they felt.”

Designer Alexander Wang, 32, certainly does.

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Alexander Wang (Photo: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images for Time)



“The first gay club I went to was probably when I was 16. It was called City Nights in San Francisco,” he told the Times. “I remember I would have to get a fake ID as it was an 18-and-over club. But all my friends were older at that point because I lived by myself in S.F. and made friends from just going out. Night life was my escape from the day to day. I would go every Thursday: hip-hop night. I was very lucky to have the community I grew up in be so supportive.”

For Andy Cohen of Watch What Happens: Live, gay bars were a place to feel at home.

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