New York’s Gay Street Renamed ‘Acceptance Street’ for Pride

In honour of Pride month, the New York City Commission of Human Rights temporarily renamed New York’s Gay Street to ‘Acceptance Street’ on Monday (June 17).

The short, angled street was originally a stable alley, and is one of the most picturesque in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. It’s located a short walk away from the Stonewall Inn, where the modern LGBT+ rights movement began with a riot in 1969.

While the historic origins of the name Gay Street are debated, it is not in reference to the LGBT+ community, but is believed to have come from a family named Gay who lived or owned land there in the late 18th Century.

The famous street has featured in the opening shots of Cyndi Lauper’s music video for “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” and Sheryl Crow’s music video for “A Change Would Do You Good.”