When the NYPD barged into the Stonewall Inn arresting LGBTQ patrons on June 28, 1969, they did not expect the community to fight back. But fed up with years of abuse and oppression, that’s exactly what the community did ― rioting and occupying the streets into the early morning hours.

Today, 50 years later, RYOT creatively reimagines a scene in front of the Stonewall Inn on that fateful night in full augmented reality. The team built a digital Stonewall Inn, complete with five different characters who share their stories, culled from decades’ worth of interviews. As users walk around the space and tap on each “play” icon, they’ll hear the various stories and perspectives from those who were there. These historical figures include Sylvia Rivera, Raymond Castro, Yvonne Ritter, Lucian K. Truscott IV, and Deputy Inspector Seymour Pine.

Thank you CyArk for providing the Stonewall Inn model, with a special thanks to Iron Mountain. We would also like to thank PlayHybrid for the environment, character and engineering design.

Audio recordings of Raymond Castro, Yvonne Ritter, Lucian K. Truscott IV and Deputy Inspector Seymour Pine provided by WGBH Media Library & Archives. Audio recordings of Sylvia Rivera courtesy of Making Gay History. Find the Making Gay History podcast on all major podcast platforms and at www.makinggayhistory.com.

RYOT Credits:

• Executive Producers: Jake Sally & Josh Gold
• Producers: Eric Day & Fabrizio Alliata
• Director: Fabrizio Alliata
• Business Affairs: Benjamin Procter
• Business Development: Ceren Ates
• Sound Design: Erik Lohr
• CG Content Lead: Guenever Goik
• Art Director: Ricky Baba
• Head of Studio Engineering: Colleen O’Hagan
• Head of Product Engineering: Herve Bizira
• Project Manager: Daryl Chong
• Article Written By: Alexander Seedman