Stanley, Kathleen & Robert Rygor Way (Queens)
Present name:34th Street
Location:Between Broadway and 34th Avenue
Honoree: Stanley Rygor (1926-2019) Kathleen Rygor (1929-2021) and Robert Rygor (1953-1994) were very involved in the LGBT community. Robert was a well-known LGBT community activist, a prominent AIDS activist and an ACT UP spokesperson. In 1978, he became the first openly gay man to run for New York State Legislature. He was a member of Villagers Against Crime, advocating for safer neighborhoods and in 1992, he testified at the Democratic Platform Committee Hearings to advocate for the inclusion of AIDS awareness and funding in their platform. Stanley, Robert’s father, served in the United States Navy and later became a civil rights activist during the 1960’s. The Queens LGBT community referred to him as an outspoken ally and advocated for AIDS Outreach after his son contracted the virus and passed away. Stanley was a member of the Irish LGBT group Lavender and Green Alliance, which both honored him and his wife Kathleen, in 1996. Stanley and Kathleen were featured in a number of films regarding their son on the challenges of homophobia and AIDS. (Dromm)
LL:2022/54