10 LGBTQIA+ landmarks to visit in the US and abroad
Early in the morning on June 28, 1969, in New York City's Greenwich Village, a group of queer folks — many of them people of color and transgender — bravely fought back against a police raid of the Stonewall Inn bar. This spirited act of defiance is credited with having launched the modern LGBTQIA+ civil rights movement. The world's first coordinated Pride demonstrations took place on the first anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, and June has since become globally recognized as Pride Month.
Related: From Medellin to Taipei: 12 underrated LGBTQIA+-friendly destinations to visit in 2025
The site of the Stonewall Rebellion remains a beacon of hope, inclusion and righteous defiance. You can show your solidarity with queer folks and allies by visiting this poignant historic site along with these other meaningful landmarks around the world that shine a light on LGBTQIA+ rights and the ongoing resistance against those who seek to silence and marginalize the community.
Stonewall National Monument, New York
The Stonewall Inn shut down not long after the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion, but it reopened in 2006 and has been a beloved LGBTQIA+ hangout ever since. In 2016, the U.S. National Park Service designated the bar and part of diminutive Christopher Park, across the street, as Stonewall National Monument.
In 2025, the Trump administration had all references to transgender and queer people scrubbed from the monument's official webpage. But this act can never erase the fact that trans people played a central role in the Stonewall Rebellion and continue to be vital constituents of today's LGBTQIA+ Pride movement. Signs and historic photos on the Christopher Park fence continue to tell the stories of this pivotal moment in queer history.
Be sure to set aside time to explore the surrounding, and quite charming, West Village, which contains several queer bars that date back decades, including Julius' Bar and The Cubbyhole.
Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted Under Nazism, Berlin
On the eastern edge of queer-popular Tiergarten park and steps from the neoclassical Brandenburg Gate, this austere yet moving concrete cube contains a viewing window through which you can watch historic video footage of two queer people kissing. The Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted Under Nazism is across the street from and affiliated with the incredibly powerful Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.
Near Nollendorfplatz, the hub of Berlin queer life in the 1920s and again following World War II to the present day, Berlin's Schwules Museum is set in a converted printing factory and contains a remarkable trove of documents and artifacts about LGBTQIA+ history.
Frida Kahlo Museum, Mexico City
Set amid the tree-shaded streets of the city's historic Coyoacan neighborhood, the highly popular (buy tickets online well in advance, if possible) Frida Kahlo Museum occupies the striking cobalt-blue former home of the artist and beloved queer icon who was married to fellow painter Diego Rivera but also had relationships with women — notably photographer Tina Modotti — and other men.
Closer to the city center, check out the lively bars and clubs of one of Latin America's oldest queer districts, Zona Rosa. And about 35 miles southeast of the city, in the shadow of the hulking Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl volcanoes, you can visit Hacienda Panoaya, a beautifully restored mansion (now part of a resort) where Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz spent part of her childhood. A museum here interprets the fascinating life of this 17th-century poet and nun who is considered the New World's earliest writer of feminist ideals and lesbian love poetry.
Gay and Lesbian Holocaust Memorial, Sydney
Completed in 2001, this striking pink-steel sculpture, in the shape of a triangular prism, is set in a prominent corner of Green Park, in the heart of this inclusive city's historic LGBTQIA+ neighborhood, Darlinghurst. The Gay and Lesbian Holocaust Memorial is across the street from the Sydney Jewish Museum, which is currently closed to the general public while the building undergoes a major redevelopment that's slated for completion in early 2027. A couple of blocks away, queer bars, eateries, and other businesses — some dating back nearly 50 years — line colorful Oxford Street.
The Castro, San Francisco
Perhaps the most recognizable LGBTQIA+ neighborhood in the world, this hilly district dotted with colorfully painted Victorian houses and some of the country's oldest gay bars is a landmark unto itself and the home of several prominent queer sites.
These include 575 Castro St., formerly a camera shop run by the legendary activist and politician Harvey Milk and now the co-op gallery Queer Arts Featured, and the massive 20-by-30-foot flag that pays tribute to Gilbert Baker, who designed the rainbow flag while living in the city in 1978. Also stroll by the spectacularly ornate 1920s Castro Theatre, which is currently undergoing a restoration slated for completion in mid-2026, and the enlightening GLBT Historical Society Museum.
Homomonument, Amsterdam
This stepped, pink-granite platform is an homage to the battle against LGBTQIA+ oppression. At the time of its unveiling in 1987, it was considered the world's first public gay rights monument. Consisting of three sides, each measuring 10 meters (just shy of 33 feet), the Homomonument rests atop the picturesque canal, Keizersgracht. It is in the city's medieval Old Centre, which is also the center of Amsterdam's queer scene, and steps from another profound symbol of courage in the face of Nazi persecution: the Anne Frank House.
Ximen Red House, Taipei, Taiwan
This large and distinctive octagonal brick building dates back to 1908 and originally served as a public market. Since a dramatic restoration in 2007, Ximen Red House has served as a cultural center and the de facto hub of the city's LGBTQIA+ scene. It contains a theater and connects with a series of maker shops and studios, cafes, bars and restaurants, most of which have a pronounced gay presence. The Red House is a highlight of any queer-centric visit to Taiwan, which hosts Asia's largest Pride celebration and in 2019 became the first nation on the continent to enshrine same-sex marriage rights.
Oscar Wilde House, Dublin
One of the most brilliant literary figures of the late 19th century, Oscar Wilde grew up in this handsome 1760s home near Trinity College's campus. Photographs, memorabilia and exhibits in the Oscar Wilde House expand on the rich but ultimately tragic life of this celebrated playwright, poet and novelist who penned "The Importance of Being Earnest," "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and "The Ballad of Reading Gaol," which references the time he spent incarcerated after being convicted of "gross indecency" for having sexual relations with men.
Across the street from the house, in a lushly landscaped corner of gracious Merrion Square Park, the life-size Oscar Wilde Monument, which was carved from colorful semiprecious stones, makes for a striking photo op.
Giovanni's Room, Philadelphia
Established in 1973 and named for James Baldwin's groundbreaking queer novel, the Philly AIDS Thrift at Giovanni's Room (as it's officially been known since 2014) is the oldest LGBTQIA+ and feminist bookstore in the country. (Toronto's Glad Day Bookshop is three years older and also well worth checking out.)
In addition to being a fantastic place to pick up queer lit, this airy space also sells music, art and fashion and hosts LGBTQIA+ events. It's in Philly's vibrant "Gayborhood," with its many community-focused businesses, including the Tavern on Camac, which has drawn queer folks since the 1930s. And while you're soaking up LGBTQIA+ history, pay a visit to The Walt Whitman House (5 miles away in Camden, New Jersey), where the gay poet resided during the final decade of his life.
Queer Britain, London
Opened in 2022 inside the historic Granary Square mixed-use complex beside scenic Regent's Canal in Kings Cross, the Queer Britain museum is a vast repository of LGBTQIA+ history and culture, presenting engaging rotating exhibits alongside its extensive permanent collection. From here, it's a half-hour stroll to the fashionable Bloomsbury neighborhood, where you can admire a bust of bisexual novelist and poet Virginia Woolf just outside the Georgian mansion she resided in during the early 1900s. Another 15 minutes south, you can explore Soho, a center of London queer culture for more than a century and home to several historic gay bars, including the Admiral Duncan.
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