Stacy Marie Lentz (born April 17, 1970) is an American lesbian

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , ...

activist, and a co-owner of the

Stonewall Inn The Stonewall Inn, often shortened to Stonewall, is a gay bar and recreational tavern in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City, and the site of the Stonewall riots of 1969, which is widely considered to be the sin ...

, and co-founder of the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative.

is the birthplace of the modern gay rights movements after the 1969

Stonewall riots The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous protests by members of the LGBT community#Terminology, gay community in response to a police raid that began in t ...

and forms part of the

Stonewall National Monument Stonewall National Monument is a U.S. national monument in the West Village neighborhood of Greenwich Village in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The designated area includes the Stonewall Inn, the Christopher Park, and nearby streets includin ...

. In 1994, Lentz moved from her home state of

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, became a recruiter, and later joined a team of investors that saved and reopened the

, a U.S National Historic Landmark. In New York, Lentz built a career in staffing and recruiting. Lentz has held various leadership positions within the recruiting industry and is currently the CEO of r2 sourcing, her own consulting and recruiting firm. Lentz also served as Vice President for Ajilon Finance, Managing partner of the Lucas Group and a Managing Director at Taylor Grey. In 2017, Stacy Lentz, Kurt Kelly, Bill Morgan, Tony DeCicco and Bob Kelly launched The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative, which is "a nonprofit charitable organization inspired by the struggles and ideals of the LGBTQ rights movement born out of the Stonewall Inn Uprising of 1969." The organization provides financial, educational, and strategic help to grassroots organizations that support members of the LGBTQ community. In addition to being a co-founder, Lentz currently serves as President and CEO of the organization.

Stonewall and activism

The Stonewall Inn "is widely considered to be the single most important event leading to the gay liberation movement and the modern fight for gay and lesbian rights in the United States", having been the site of the riots that set off the modern gay rights movement. Lentz stepped in and became a co-partner/investor in 2006 after the Inn had fallen into disrepair, a no-man's-land of crime and drugs that risked closing for good Lentz and her business partners helped save Stonewall, which many consider to be the most significant gay rights landmark. She also became its first and only lesbian investor, as well as the only gay partner in Stonewall's history. Lentz began using her position for activism by organizing or hosting hundreds of events for

GLAAD GLAAD (), an acronym of Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portraya ...

, Marriage Equality USA, the Hetrick-Martin Institute, HRC, the New York City Anti Violence Project (AVP), Sylvia's Place,

Lambda Legal Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, better known as Lambda Legal, is an American civil rights organization that focuses on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT) communities as well as people living with HIV/AIDS ( PWAs) through ...

, and others. In addition, Lentz also helped organize the March for Marriage rally, uniting more than 80 LGBT organizations and thousands of people to call for the repeal of DOMA in 2013. A few of the highlights in Lentz's activism career include: * Planning Stonewall Inn's 40th anniversary celebration, marking 40 years since the riots with celebrity guests raising thousands of dollars to benefit the Hetrick Martin Institute home of the

Harvey Milk High School Harvey Milk High School (HMHS) is a public high school in the East Village of Lower Manhattan in New York City designed for, though not limited to, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender young people, as well as those questioning their sexua ...

in New York City. * Receiving honors from AVP and

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

and receiving the Community Heroes Award after helping organize a vigil and rally after a gay bashing that received national media attention occurred at the Stonewall inn. * Being awarded the Stonewall Community Foundation's Hero Award in 2010 for her activism and work in the LGBT community * Being listed as one of

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's "100 Women We Love" *Launching the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative in 2017 to help some of the most marginalized members of the LGBTQ community, especially those who live in areas where they still face daily discrimination. Lentz also worked closely with

to ensure that

Guinness Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in ...

, one of the major sponsors of New York City's

St. Patrick's Day Parade Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick ( ga, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit=the Day of the Festival of Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patr ...

, would be boycotted if they didn't pull their sponsorship from the parade which at that point would not allow LGBT people to march. With the help of the LGBT community Lentz managed to get Guinness to drop their sponsorship and the following year LGBT groups were allowed in the parade. Due to her activism and involvement at Stonewall and within the gay community at large, multiple outlets have quoted Lentz on her reaction to major LGBT events including DOMA, the overturning of

DADT "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) was the official United States policy on military service of non-heterosexual people, instituted during the Clinton administration. The policy was issued under Department of Defense Directive 1304.26 on December ...

, Obama making history by mentioning Stonewall in his inaugural speech, and President Obama declaring Stonewall National monument in 2016. As of 2017, Lentz lives in the

Meatpacking District The Meatpacking District is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan that runs from West 14th Street south to Gansevoort Street, and from the Hudson River east to Hudson Street. The Meatpacking Business Improvement District alon ...

in New York City.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lentz, Stacy American LGBT rights activists 1970 births Living people