27 min
Episode 5: Lesbian Pioneer, Leslie Cohen Sundays at Café Tabac - The Podcast
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- Personal Journals
LESLIE COHEN, is someone you might’ve often seen, but not necessarily have known it was her. She and her partner of 44 years, Beth Suskin, sit out in front of Stonewall in NYC, all day everyday. They were the models that posed for George Segal in 1979 and are immortalized in the sculptures at Christopher Park in front of Stonewall.
Segal, despite being a highly established artist at the time, had a hard time finding models brave enough to pose for the statues that would commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots which marked the birth of the gay liberation movement.
Leslie was also one of the 5 women who in 1976, created the first club owned and operated for women, by women, the legendary Sahara, at 1234 Second Ave at 65th street.
This was no small feat then. Or even now. Then, it provided a safe haven from the seedy gay nightlife which was wholly run by and exploited by the mafia. It was a time when it was difficult for women to even obtain a state liquor license to open such a business, where a husband or father were required to sign the necessary legal documents.
Sahara was a new vision for a women’s space, elevated, celebratory, and above-ground.
Leslie brought her sensibilities having worked in the art world to bring to it its salon-like vibe, which would attract celebrities who appeared or performed there such as... Jane Fonda, Tom Hayden, Patti Smith, Pat Benatar, Nona Hendryx, Warren Beatty, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, Bella Abzug, and Elaine Noble, the first openly gay state Representative.
Her legacy of contributing to our community and history is rich, and it is rooted in love. Foremost. Love for her Beth, and love for her community.
Leslie has just published her memoir “The Audacity of a Kiss, Love Art & Liberation” through Rutgers University Press which will be out Fall/Winter of 2021/2022.
You can also find out more about Sahara online at storiesofsahara.com
Support the show
Recorded at The Newsstand Studio at 1 Rockefeller Plaza in NYC. Special thanks to Joseph Hazan & Karen Song. Produced by Wanda Acosta
• Find us: @cafetabacfilm on Instagram & Facebook
• Email us: info@cafetabacfilm.com
• Website: cafetabacfilm.com/podcast
• LEAVE A REVIEW
LESLIE COHEN, is someone you might’ve often seen, but not necessarily have known it was her. She and her partner of 44 years, Beth Suskin, sit out in front of Stonewall in NYC, all day everyday. They were the models that posed for George Segal in 1979 and are immortalized in the sculptures at Christopher Park in front of Stonewall.
Segal, despite being a highly established artist at the time, had a hard time finding models brave enough to pose for the statues that would commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots which marked the birth of the gay liberation movement.
Leslie was also one of the 5 women who in 1976, created the first club owned and operated for women, by women, the legendary Sahara, at 1234 Second Ave at 65th street.
This was no small feat then. Or even now. Then, it provided a safe haven from the seedy gay nightlife which was wholly run by and exploited by the mafia. It was a time when it was difficult for women to even obtain a state liquor license to open such a business, where a husband or father were required to sign the necessary legal documents.
Sahara was a new vision for a women’s space, elevated, celebratory, and above-ground.
Leslie brought her sensibilities having worked in the art world to bring to it its salon-like vibe, which would attract celebrities who appeared or performed there such as... Jane Fonda, Tom Hayden, Patti Smith, Pat Benatar, Nona Hendryx, Warren Beatty, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, Bella Abzug, and Elaine Noble, the first openly gay state Representative.
Her legacy of contributing to our community and history is rich, and it is rooted in love. Foremost. Love for her Beth, and love for her community.
Leslie has just published her memoir “The Audacity of a Kiss, Love Art & Liberation” through Rutgers University Press which will be out Fall/Winter of 2021/2022.
You can also find out more about Sahara online at storiesofsahara.com
Support the show
Recorded at The Newsstand Studio at 1 Rockefeller Plaza in NYC. Special thanks to Joseph Hazan & Karen Song. Produced by Wanda Acosta
• Find us: @cafetabacfilm on Instagram & Facebook
• Email us: info@cafetabacfilm.com
• Website: cafetabacfilm.com/podcast
• LEAVE A REVIEW
27 min