Craig Rodwell and the Oscar Wilde Bookshop

Former location of Oscar Wilde Bookshop, founded by Craig Rodwell, at the corner of Gay and Christopher Streets.

NPS PHOTO

An LGBTQ "Reading Room"

Since this bookshop stood at the corner of Gay Street and Christopher Street, let's clarify first that “Gay Street” was not named for LGBTQ people. It was named decades earlier for Sidney Howard Gay, editor of the Anti-Slavery Standard. Abolition riots took place in New York in 1834 and locals named the street after the editor in his honor. Greenwich Village is a place where rioters for progressive causes get streets named after them.

During the first night of the Stonewall rebellion, Craig Rodwell could be seen and heard yelling “Gay power!” even before the police had barricaded themselves inside. Two years earlier, he had founded the original Oscar Wilde Bookshop at a different location. The bookshop moved to the corner of Gay and Christopher Streets in 1973. It is claimed that this was the first bookstore devoted to gay authors.

Even if he had never opened the bookstore, Rodwell would be one of the major names in America’s LGBTQ history. He was one of the three members of the Mattachine Society to attend the “sip-in” at Julius’ Bar. In fact, he wanted to join the Mattachine as soon as he arrived in New York but had to wait until he was 21. It was his idea in 1965 to organize an annual picket at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia on July 4 to call for lesbian and gay equality before the law. These “Annual Reminder” pickets lasted five years until 1969, the week after the Stonewall uprising.

After Stonewall, the Annual Reminder seemed outdated. People wanted to organize in more open, defiant ways. Rodwell moved on to commemorating the Stonewall rebellion every year by organizing the first “Christopher Street Liberation Day” in 1970. This was the start of gay pride parades throughout the world. Most pride marches take place in late June, like the Stonewall rebellion.

Rodwell loved the written word. Raised as a Christian Scientist, he found inspiration in the writings of Mary Baker Eddy throughout his life. The Oscar Wilde Bookshop was modeled on Christian Science reading rooms, which are still found in many cities. This may be why Rodwell refused to sell pornographic material for several years, until financial necessity forced him to change his mind.

Rodwell died of stomach cancer in 1993 at the age of 52. The bookstore outlived him by 16 years, with multiple owners. It closed for good in 2009, but has inspired countless bookstores for LGBTQ people throughout the world.