Jim Moser Lynn’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) community will proudly celebrate its amazing history, progress, and resilience with an exhibit opening this month at the Lynn Museum. The Light House Cafe, the first LGBTQ+ bar in Massachusetts, opened on Lynn Harbor in 1937 at a time when it was not safe to be oneself in public. By the time Lynn’s last LGBTQ+ bar, Fran’s Place, closed in 2016, LGBTQ+ people had achieved the right to marry.
More recently, several LGBTQ+ Lynn residents have achieved national prominence. The first same-sex marriage license in the United States was issued to two women, Susan Shepherd and Marcia Hams, who met while working at the GE in Lynn. In 2022, Rashida Ellis won the Elite Women’s World Championship gold, becoming the first American woman to win the lightweight division at the International Boxing Association World Championships.
Alex Newell is the first non-binary person to receive a Tony Award, which they got for their role in “Shucked” in 2023. Jack Noseworthy is a gay actor from Lynn known for his roles in “Event Horizon,” “U-571,” “Barb Wire,” and “Killing Kennedy.” Jazzul Escada is a ballroom legend.
Lynn became an LGBTQ+ magnet and a sanctuary. Lynn’s LGBTQ+ bars provided a safe haven where LGBTQ+ people across the North Shore connected, supported each other, and felt the joy of being their authentic selves. In 1969 Lynn had a big, beautiful, palatial waterfront bar, the Aquarius Lou.