In 1967, Craig Rodwell opened the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop in New York City. This bookshop is notable because during its original opening, the activism surrounding same-sex sexuality rights within the United States was growing, and this bookshop is dedicated explicitly to gay and lesbian authors (NYC LGBT). During this time in the 1960s, homosexuality was still considered illegal, and punishment varied from state to state. These punishments ranged from being fined to imprisonment. Illinois was the only state at the time of the opening to have made homosexuality legal. With activism spreading, one of the leaders of this activism was Craig Rodwell.

            Rodwell started his journey being an activist during Homophile Movement by joining The Mattachine Society; he further moved on to joining more societies and groups. Around 1960, Craig Rodwell got the idea for an LGBT dedicated bookstore (NYC LGBT). The opening of the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop took place, and shortly after, the bookshop became a place that the LGBT community could gather and meet in peace. This bookshop held many readings and signings from gay and lesbian authors, allowing their works of literature to grow. The bookshop brought together an appeasing atmosphere for consumers, but also LGBT authors have noted the inspiration that they gained from visiting the shop. Of course, like many other historical landmarks that fought for homosexual rights, the bookshop faced the occasional vandalism. Still, overall, the bookshop was relatively peaceful, which led many people, some of whom even lived outside of New York City, to visit the Village in which the bookshop was located.

            The bookshop was a success in that it became the headquarters of a new LGBT organization that Rodwell started called the Homophile Youth Movement in Neighborhoods or HYMN. This organization helped participate in the Stonewall riots by creating and handing out flyers demanding an end to the police and mafia in gay bars (Craig). The Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop was the first of its kind and inspired other books sellers and lovers of literature who identified with the LGBT community to do the same, creating an environment where their gender and sex do not feel illegal (Historic Districts). 

Works Cited 

Craig Rodwell Papers, https://archives.nypl.org/mss/2606.

“LGBTQIA+ Studies: A Resource Guide: The Mattachine Society.” Research Guides, https://guides.loc.gov/lgbtq-studies/before-stonewall/mattachine.

“Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop.” NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project, 2017, https://www.nyclgbtsites.org/site/oscar-wilde-memorial-bookshop-2/.

“Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop: Historic Districts Council's Six to Celebrate.” Historic Districts Councils Six to Celebrate, https://6tocelebrate.org/site/oscar-wilde-memorial-bookshop/.