PRIDE 2025 - Featured Stories: Stacy Lentz - The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative

From a conservative town in Kansas to the epicenter of LGBTQ+ advocacy in New York City, Stacy Lentz has built a legacy rooted in resistance, representation, and revolutionary change. As the co-owner of the Stonewall Inn and co-founder of the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative (SIGBI), Lentz has transformed one of the most iconic symbols of queer liberation into a global platform for change. Her activism is not just about honoring the past—it’s about shaping a future where every LGBTQ+ person, everywhere, feels safe, seen, and supported.

Lentz’s journey began far from the bustling streets of Manhattan. “I think for me a lot of it came from growing up in a very Christian conservative part of Kansas in the middle of a cornfield in a time when it's not easy to be LGBTQ in the 70s and 80s,” she recalls. Her awakening to the urgent need for advocacy crystallized in 1993 when Brandon Teena, a transgender man, was brutally murdered just 45 minutes from her hometown. “Watching how the media, the press, people in my hometown felt and covered that was just insanity for me,” she says. “That was a very eye-opening experience and kind of changed the trajectory of what I wanted to do.”

But activism wasn’t something she could pursue openly—at least not yet. “I didn’t get into the activism until I got to New York and I felt safe,” she explains. “I wanted to make sure I was in the right space to do what I needed to do for our community.” That moment came in 2006, when the Stonewall Inn—site of the 1969 uprising that sparked the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement—was up for sale. Alongside her business partners Bill Morgan, Kurt Kelly, and Tony DiCicco, Lentz stepped in to preserve the landmark and restore its place as a center of advocacy. “We wanted to put it back on the map and get it back at the forefront of the LGBTQ rights movement.”

By 2017, it was clear the bar’s historical significance could be a powerful tool for global change. Lentz and her partners launched the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative, a nonprofit aimed at supporting grassroots activists and safe spaces around the world. “We saw an opportunity…We’ll take these corporations' brand and their money and we’ll partner with them and form our own nonprofit and give it to grassroots activists all over the globe,” she says. The mission is clear: leverage the Stonewall Inn’s legacy to amplify the voices and protect the lives of those most vulnerable.

SIGBI’s expansive reach supports activists from Uganda and Kenya to Kansas and Mississippi. “We wanted to take that Stonewall Inn legacy and spread it to the places and spaces that need it the most,” Lentz emphasizes. This isn’t just about nostalgia; it’s about action. “The Stonewall Inn has such a historic platform. So many people recognize what it means globally. We would be silly and irresponsible as owners not to use that platform.”

Educating the next generation is just as important. Lentz is passionate about preserving LGBTQ+ history and ensuring young people understand its relevance. “We’ve partnered up with even the NYC Department of Education, where we give tours to high schoolers, even junior high students,” she says. “If you don't know your history, you may not have a future.” That history is more urgent now than ever. “A few years ago, maybe people felt content, comfortable. And now we're in an environment where they see that it can all be wiped away with a vote, essentially—which is crazy.”

Indeed, Lentz sees voting as a critical battleground for LGBTQ+ rights. “We got here, sadly, legally through the voting process,” she warns. “Whether it's your local school board, state, or national level—you need to vote for a party that's going to protect your rights.” But civic engagement goes beyond the ballot box. “We’ve got to take one out of their playbook and realize that money still talks. We need to put our money where our mouth is.”

That philosophy inspired SIGBI’s Safe Spaces Certification program. The initiative allows businesses of all sizes—“your dentist, a large corporation”—to earn recognition for their year-round commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion. “One of the criteria is you need to support the community 365 days a year, not just during Pride month,” Lentz explains. “I'm not just a lesbian in June. I'm a lesbian every day of the year.”

Lentz is candid about the challenges of today’s political climate, especially for the trans and non-binary community. “This administration spent millions of dollars on ads saying they were going to do just that—attack trans people,” she says. “And they’ve done it.” Still, she remains hopeful, pointing to organizations like Lambda Legal and the ACLU that are “fighting that in court—and winning.” Legal victories are crucial, but so is cultural change. “We’ve got to keep that battle up for hearts and minds.”

That means having difficult conversations, even outside progressive circles. “The real work is not living in our echo chambers. It's talking to people who don’t identify exactly the way I do,” she says. And for those exhausted by the fight? “I get it. But that’s where folks like me, with white privilege, cis privilege, can step in. The burden shouldn’t always fall on our BIPOC, trans, and non-binary siblings.”

As for performative allyship—especially during Pride—Lentz has a clear stance. “Pride is 365. We need to look at what you’re doing in December, in November. What are you doing when the parades are over?” SIGBI’s soon-to-launch heat map will showcase every certified safe space around the globe, sending a powerful message: “Not everyone is abandoning the LGBTQ+ community. Not everyone is against diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

When asked what gives her hope, Lentz doesn’t hesitate. “I see a younger generation having that ‘aha’ moment. They realize that we could lose everything that past generations fought for. And they’re coming out swinging.” That fire, she says, is the fuel the movement needs. “We’ve been here before. The battle is not over. But seeing them pick up the fight—that gives me hope.”

In an era when visibility is still revolutionary, Stacy Lentz’s message is clear: Pride is a protest, a promise, and a path forward. Through the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative, she’s ensuring that the legacy of Stonewall doesn’t just live in memory—it thrives in action. P&E - Teresa Robinson