A Tribute To Leslie Cohen & Beth Suskin

As we celebrate the 57th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion that took place on June 28th in 1969 I pay tribute to my friends Leslie Cohen & Beth Suskin who were the models for the iconic sculpture “Gay Liberation” in Greenwich Village which commemorates the Stonewall riots. Back in 2019 when I asked Leslie what the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots means to her Cohen stated, “First of all it’s a celebration of how far we’ve come & it’s also a reminder of how precarious the rights that we have achieved have become under Trump who is consistently chipping away at everything we have fought for over the last 50 years…We should also be very vigilant because these rights can be taken away. It’s important to stay visible & it’s important to be out there. Write your books, tell your stories, make sure that we are part of history & people can refer to it especially young people. This is so important for young people to see that there are many gays & lesbians who fought for their rights & have found joy & happiness. I’m happy being a lesbian. I’ve had a lot of joy & a lot of fun & I want young people to know that. I have found love. I’ve been with my now wife for over 40 years & it’s possible. You will find happiness.” Sadly Leslie passed away in 2022 & her wife Beth left us in 2025. In this exclusive 2019 podcast I talked to Cohen about the legendary nightclub Sahara that she established in NYC with Michelle Florea, Linda Goldfarb & Barbara Russo in 1976 & her spin on our issues. LISTEN