When Brooklyn Was Queer: A History

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This groundbreaking exploration reveals Brooklyn's vibrant yet overlooked queer history from the mid-1850s to the present. It chronicles the LGBT narrative, beginning with Walt Whitman in the 1850s and extending to the women at the Brooklyn Navy Yard during World War II. Unlike any previous work, it addresses the systematic erasure of Brooklyn's queer past, often overshadowed by the more recognized queer neighborhoods of Manhattan. The author uncovers this hidden history, illustrating how Brooklyn's development is intertwined with the remarkable lives of its queer residents. Notable figures include Ella Wesner and Florence Hines, renowned drag kings of the late 1800s; E. Trondle, a transgender man whose arrest in 1913 made headlines; Hamilton Easter Field, who fostered literary talents like Hart Crane; Mabel Hampton, a black lesbian dancer at Coney Island in the 1920s; Gustave Beekman, involved in a WWII gay Nazi spy scandal; and Josiah Marvel, who pioneered a treatment program for gay men arrested for public sex in the 1950s. Through these stories, the book vividly brings to life Brooklyn's rich queer heritage.