Ithaca LGBTQ Local History Tour Project

Pride 2021 🌈 has officially begun, and the Buffalo-Niagara LGBTQ History Project is excited to unveil a very special project— the first ever LGBTQ-themed historic plaque in WNY! On August 7, we will place an official NYS marker commemorating the historic case People v. Uplinger (1983) which struck down loitering laws that New York police used to criminalize, entrap, and harass gay men and s*x workers. Please consider being a part of this notable moment by helping us fund the design and placement of the plaque by visiting this link: http://bit.ly/uplingerplaque 🖤🌈🖤

On August 7, 1981, at the corner of North Street and Irving Place, Bob Uplinger (1951-1988) was charged by Buffalo Police with loitering for the purpose of soliciting deviate s*x. He was entrapped by an undercover police officer, Stephen Nicosia, posing as a young gay man, who arrested Uplinger for proposing a consensual s*xual encounter back at his apartment. Aided by attorney William H. Gardner, Uplinger took the case to the New York State Court of Appeals in Albany. On February 23rd, 1982, the court ruled in Uplinger’s favor and struck down the predatory loitering law in a 6 to 1 vote. The ruling in Uplinger’s case officially invalidated the practice of entrapping gay men and arresting them for seeking consensual s*x. In 1983, Uplinger became one of the founders of Gay and Le***an Youth of Buffalo. Today, the organization continues as GLYS Western New York, Inc. - Growing LGBTQ+ Youth Sevices. Join us on the 40th anniversary of Uplinger's arrest, when the Buffalo-Niagara LGBTQ History Project will make a new kind of history!

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Ithaca College and PocketSights get shout outs in GO Magazine recommendations of self-guided walking tours through . Yes, ours is one of them!

This Queerantine Was Made For Walking: 10 Self-Guided Tours Of Hidden LGBTQ+ Past | GO Magazine You might stop and smell the roses, but have you considered stopping at q***r historical sites?