Jacob Riis Park
Jacob Riis Park, named after the social reformer and photojournalist from the turn of the 20th century, is situated on a mile-long section of the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. The LGBT community has traditionally used the beaches in New York City as a hub for social gatherings and claimed specific areas as their own.
Robert Moses, the commissioner of parks for New York City, oversaw the redesign of the beach in the 1930s. Moses hoped that Jones Beach would be a more democratic version of the park when it reopened in 1937 because of how easily it could be reached by both cars and public transportation. By the 1940s, mostly white gay men had made the most eastern end of the beach their preferred location for cruises and sunbathing. By the 1950s, lesbian women had also taken over a portion of the nearby beach. By the 1960s, this neighborhood had a growing LGBT community that included African Americans and Latino/a men and women.
Due to the presence of gay people, this section of the beach changed to clothing-optional status in the 1960s and earned the nickname "Screech Beach." Pictures of the beach from this time period can be found in the LGBT Community Center National History Archive.
- Location: 157 Rockaway Beach Blvd, Rockaway Park, NY 11694
- Website: N/A
- Phone: +1 718-318-4310
