Three years later, a more transparently gay bar, just a short walk from Julius', took center stage in the politics of gay liberation. Julius' soon became a haven for gay patrons like Lee and Jack. The commission's public agreement with the protesters forced the New York State Liquor Authority to clarify that there was, in fact, no policy against serving homosexuals. The Mattachines' tactic worked: The bartender denied them service, and, within weeks, the ensuing publicity got the attention of the city's Commission on Human Rights. (Notably, they didn't initially choose Julius', but rather ended up there after their attempts were thwarted elsewhere.) By outing themselves before ordering a drink, the sippers hoped to bring legal scrutiny to the way that bars were refusing service to people suspected of being gay (bars claimed that the simple presence of homosexuals was ' disorderly,' and feared that disorderly conduct could jeopardize their licenses). On April 21st, 1966, members of the New York chapter of the Mattachine Society-one of the most prominent gay rights organizations during the mid-century ' Homophile Movement'-staged a Sip-In at Julius', which was already popular among gay men.
Julius' isn't just any New York City bar it has a distinct political history.
