Weinstein Hall occupation

Weinstein Hall occupation
Weinstein Hall occupation
Date	September 20–25, 1970
Location	Greenwich Village, New York City, New York, U.S.
Caused by	Refusal to allow gay dances
Resulted in	Occupiers evicted; Gay dances allowed after further protests; Founding of Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR);
Parties
Gay Liberation Front (GLF); Gay Youth (GY); Transcendental Students; Christopher Street Liberation Day Committee; Gay Student Liberation; Red Butterfly; NYU Women's Liberation; NYU Liberation Front; Gay Activists Alliance (GAA, joined later);	New York University administration; New York City Police Department (NYPD);

The Weinstein Hall occupation was a building occupation organized by gay liberation activists to protest the cancellation of gay dances at the Weinstein Hall residence building at New York University. The occupation, which occurred in the wake of the Stonewall riots, saw the takeover of the Weinstein Hall sub-basement. Occupiers discussed various topics, chanted, danced, sang folk songs, and played games from September 20–25, 1970, with connections forming between lesbians and street queens.

The occupation ended when members of a police tactical unit confronted the occupiers, threatening to shoot them if they did not vacate the premises. A march through Greenwich Village ensued, after which the occupiers dispersed. After the occupation, further protests took place at NYU's Loeb Student Center, leading the university to eventually permit gay dances at Weinstein Hall. Later, several protesters who took part in the occupation founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), which provided shelter for unhoused transgender youth through its STAR House initiative.