With its iconic Gayborhood and rainbow painted crosswalks, it is no shock that the City of Brotherly Love has an active and historic queer community. Another way I want to celebrate my friends for Pride month is by compiling and taking a look back to where it all started! That Pride (even still in 2025) is considered to be a protest instead of celebration, so how did Pride start in Philly?

What was the first act of queerness?

On April 25, 1965 Deweys Diner would become a landmark for the first form of queer discrimination protest in Philly. After two queer people were denied service, teens had conducted a sit-in until they were arrested. The diner was located in the Rittenhouse Square Neighborhood where, ironically, the queer community had thrived, although not welcomed by the mayor at the time. After the initial sit in, more protests would follow to which Deweys would have to listen to customers demands and all customers of all types to be served. Deweys Diner would close across America in the 70s due to the rise in fast-food chain competition.

Creation of The Gayborhood

Philadelphia’s iconic neighborhood was actually established in the last twenty years, only officially being called as such in 2007. The Gayborhood is identified with street signs that also include a rainbow below the street name/number. But it’s been housing for some of the queer community decades before it’s official establishment. In fact, with Rittenhouse having been the initial spot for queer people to meet and hang out, the community would move into apartments around the area. Gay men started to move south of Rittenhouse, which would down the line be know as the Gayborhood. But during that time, it was called “Gay Ghetto” due to the area, that once flourished with night life, then became run down crime ridden area. The Gayborhood name would start from a comment made by David Warner, a writer and editor for City Paper, where he had said at an OutFest celebration, “It’s a beautiful day in the Gayborhood!” in 1995.

Queerness around Philly

If you’re interested in diving into Phillies queerness physically, Philly has more to offer than just the Gayborhood! So I’ve complied a list of some of queer memorabilia around the city.

• Barbara Gittings Marker- Barbara Gittings was an activist, originally from New York, who led the “Remember Day” which was a peaceful protest that would occur at Independence Hall on July 4th. The protest started in 1965 and would run every year until 1969. She’s also made some other historic markers by removing Homosexuality as the lis of mental illnesses as well as include gay and lesbian literature in libraries across the nation.
• North of Market– While a majority of white gay men resided in the Gayborhood and lesbian woman in the Chestnut Hill area, black homosexuals lived in the North of Market which has know be gentrified with the Philadelphia Convention Center and Marriot.
• Gloria Casarez Marker– Casarez was a latinx lesbian politician in Philadelphia, appointed in 2008 as the first director of LGBTQ+ affairs and made huge milestones while in office. Some of these achievements include, Empty the Shelters, Gay and Lesbian AIDS Education initiative, and had the broadest protections established for LGBTQ+ in the nation.
• Philly’s Ballroom History- A colorful and lively mural painted by Nilé Livingston can be found on 13th and Cypress. This mural is to celebrate the long line of history in Philly’s Ballroom culture. Like most of the LGTBQ+ history, ballroom dancing would be underground and a space for queer men, woman, and transgender people. Ballroom is a type of style of dancing with moves like voguing accompanied with other high energy movements. For over 25 years, Philly local Jacen Bowman has been part of the ballroom scene in Philadelphia. Bowman is also part of political work in Philly, being Vice president of the Philly Black Pride organization.

Pride Today

As we head into an era of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and an Anti-Trans military ban, please remember that these are humans too. That these people are someones children, once someones babies. That because they are different than you, they should not pose a threat to you. That because someone is different, they are not forcing something on to you. Just because a politician told you that “these people can’t be trusted,” doesn’t make politicians out to be truth tellers. Money and power does not mean you know everything, it just means you have a bigger stage to tell manipulative lies. At the end of the day, hate is disgusting and a poor waste of use on your energy. Love is love.

Thank you so much for reading! Have a wonderful day!