- A Short History of Queerness in The New York
- This book takes place in 1960 in NYC so for some cultural and Queer context for this I thought I would just share a brief overview of Queer history.
- Before colonization from white Europeans many indigenous tribes had a very different view of Queerness and homosexuality. The area that would become New Amsterdam and later NYC was predominantly Lenape who had very accepting views of gender expansiveness or who someone could love.
- From 1600-1799 homosexuality could be punished by flogging, being dunked in the Hudson River as well as the death penalty.
- During the 19th century, the NYC legislature had various levels of sodomy attempting to prevent sexual violence or violence to children. Please know that this was the intention but let’s all give it a very skeptical eye.
- Also in the 18th century in NYC
- 1888 - Everard Baths opened and would gain a reputation as a “safer” space for homoesexual men through the 1960s.
- 1895 - Cercle Hemaphroditos was formed. This was a self-described androgynes "to unite for defense against the world's bitter persecution".The group included Jennie June (born in 1874 as Earl Lind), who described herself as a "fairie" or "androgyne", which to her meant an individual, as she said, "with male genitals", but whose "psychical constitution" and sexual life "approach the female type". Hermaphrodite is no longer a term used but is the era specific term for intersex.
- Unfortunately for everyone in NYC Anthony Comstock came around with his New York Society for the Suppression of Vice by the end of the 19th century.
- This group would raid baths
- shut down plays such as Sappho (because it was just tooooo lesbian)
- Preventing contraceptives from being easily accessible to women - The Duke Gets Even by Joanna Shupe talks a lot about this
- By the 1950s - there was a suggestion of lobotomy as an appropriate way to “cure” people of their homosexual tendencies.
- In 1950, New York made legal history when it became the first state in the Union to reduce sodomy to a misdemeanor, with a maximum penalty of six months in prison. There continued to be anti-LGBT policies around liquor licenses for gay bars - shoutout to the mafia for providing “security for a price” to many of these bars. The Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis, both of which are respectively early queer rights activities, were formed.
- So. That brings us to 1960 where You Should Be So Lucky takes place.
Show Notes
GLADLaw
NYCHistoricSitesProject
Several Episodes of the Strange and Unexplained Podcast by Daisy Eagan
BBC article
Human Dignity Trust
Intro Music: Musopen; Violin Concerto in F major, RV 293 'Autumn' - III. Allegro https://musopen.org/music/14910-the-four-seasons-op-8/
