Beyond the Bell Tour started by two friends as a way to tell stories of Philadelphians often left out of most tours.
Rebecca and Joey met while studying at Haverford College. Rebecca was giving tours of Philadelphia as a summer job. She realized that she, a woman who has lived in Philadelphia her whole life, was not represented on the tours she was giving. So, she designed her own version.
Joey grew up in Maine, and after Rebecca made him come on all the different iterations of her tour, he fell for the city. To make a living telling stories about queer folks—it was a dream.
After graduating, they decided to dedicate themselves to the cause, and have been designing tours that highlight people and communities often left out of mainstream tourism ever since.
Philly Gayborhood LGBTQ Tour
Telling LGBTQ Stories with Pride
Get under the skin of gay Philly. Discover the controversies, paradoxes, and hidden histories of the only formalized Gayborhood in the country.
Tour Includes:
The evolution of Pride: from protest to parade
Kiyoshi Kuromiya: Inventor, Architect, Activist
The nation’s longest continuously operating LGBT-focused bookstore in the country
Barbara Gittings, the “Gay Pioneer”
Controversies of Racism in the Gayborhood
A tribute to Gloria Casarez
Trans History Tour
Jake Muscato is a recent graduate from West Chester University where he studied Political Science and Women & Gender Studies. He has spent the past year serving as an Americorps member with City Year Philadelphia. Jake has been committed to advocating for trans rights since his time in college and is excited to share some trans history with folks on this tour!
Tour Itinerary
- First Stop – The Mazzoni Center
- Second Stop – Bob and Barbara’s
- Third Stop – The Attic Youth Center
- Fourth Stop – Dewey’s Famous
- Fifth Stop – The Wilma Theater
- Sixth Stop – William Way Community Center