Joe Biden Makes Surprise Visit to Stonewall Inn

After his second fundraiser of the day in New York City, former Vice President Joe Biden paid a surprise visit to the Stonewall Inn Tuesday and bought a round of drinks for some lucky customers.

"VP Biden and Dr. Biden stopped by Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, New York this afternoon to commemorate 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising and demonstrate their unwavering support for the LGBTQ community during Pride Month and the NYC World Pride celebrations," Biden's campaign said in a statement:

Mark Segal, the founder of Philadelphia Gay News and a longtime LGBTQ activist who was there at the Stonewall riots in 1969, was also present during Biden's visit Tuesday. Segal was at Stonewall being interviewed about his experiences that night in June 1969, with a representative of the Smithsonian Channel promoting its special Beyond Stonewall, which features Segal's artifacts from that first year after the uprising.

"[Joe Biden showing up] was not arranged before hand, it was a total surprise," Segal told The Advocate in an email. "The Smithsonian people told the Biden people that I was there and they parted the crowd so we could meet. We shook hands, and he thanked me for my service and then we talked about mutual friends. I reminded him about his staff's help with building the LGBT Friendly Senior Affordable Housing in Philadelphia when he was VP."