Atlanta is popularly considered the “gay mecca” of the South. For decades, the city has been a site of significant LGBTQ+ and trans rights activism, including the Stonewall of the South (1969) and the ACT UP protest (1996). Alongside advocating for expanded civil rights and protections, Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ community cultivated safe spaces where people could gather, build community, and experience joy amid ongoing struggles. From the 1970s through the 1990s, the area that would become GSU’s Downtown campus was an important site for many of these spaces.
The Luckie Lane Walking Tour offers a snapshot of Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ history, highlighting gay clubs, entertainment venues, and nonprofit organizations that served the LGBTQ+ community. Participants will engage with an interactive digital map featuring student-produced visual art that reimagines these historic spaces, alongside archival photographs of the sites from the Atlanta History Center and GSU’s Special Collections.
Click here for the tour path on Google Earth.
Meeting Location: Parking Lot next to Skyview Ferris wheel (111 Luckie Street).
Participant Information: Tour this tour covers .5 miles on foot. There are places for participants to stop bathroom breaks during the tour. Wear comfortable shoes.
Accessibility Information: The path for the tour is relatively flat, and the sidewalks are paved. There are also places to sit along the path.
Tour Duration: 1 hour
*Transportation is not provided to meeting location*