On the (Queer) Waterfront

Reviewed by Elvis Bakaitis

On the (Queer) Waterfront is currently on view at the Brooklyn Historical Society (March 6-August 4), and offers glimpses of individual LGBTQ lives from the mid-1800s through the post-WWII period. Co-curated by Avram Finkelstein and Hugh Ryan, the exhibit is based on Ryan's recently published book, When Brooklyn was Queer, which focuses on the borough as a whole, though with a strong anchor (pun intended) to the waterfront.

Reviews, Brooklyn, Gender & Sexuality, Waterfront & IslandsGuest UserJune 4, 2019Brooklyn Historical Society, LGBTQ, Elvis Bakaitis, Sex Workers, Sailors, Coney Island, Madame Tirza, Ella Wesner, Walt WhitmanComment

Hugh Ryan's When Brooklyn Was Queer

Reviewed by Benjamin Serby

“Pick a random book about ‘New York City’ history, and chances are, it will mention Brooklyn… sporadically if at all. The chance that it talks about the queer history of Brooklyn? Nearly zero.” Thus writes Hugh Ryan, a curator and author whose new book, When Brooklyn Was Queer, marks a first attempt at correcting the ingrained Manhattan-centrism of queer studies and recovering the stories of queer Brooklynites in particular.

​On the (Queer) Waterfront

Reviewed by Elvis Bakaitis

Hugh Ryan's When Brooklyn Was Queer

Reviewed by Benjamin Serby

On the (Queer) Waterfront