Gay New Yorkers had a little more than Pride and marriage on their minds this weekend. After the victorious ending to the marriage equality debate, New York’s gay community experienced a shocking evening.
Several New York agencies conducted an unannounced inspection at a local gay bar called the Eagle. According to the New York Times, the police stated that this inspection occurring on the same night of the marriage ruling was coincidental. The inspection was apparently scheduled several weeks in advance. Additionally, the marriage equality vote was delayed by several days, however the Pride event was scheduled almost a year ago.
I think we can agree that the raid on the Eagle on the night of the historic vote was most likely a coincidence. I wonder, however, if they schedule these inspections on St. Patrick’s day for the Irish pubs or on New Year’s Eve for the straight clubs. The weekend of Pride is one of the biggest events for LGBT clubs in New York. Scheduling an inspection late on that Friday night was guaranteed to cause serious financial loss for the Eagle. The New York Times is also reporting that this is becoming a pattern.
I have to wonder why these agencies scheduled this visit on this particular day. I look forward to finding out more details as this unfolds.
For more information, click over to the New York Times. There are some very interesting views there.
