06/03/2026
If we are to create a more free and equal future, we must fully reckon with the whole truth of our history in the face of modern campaigns to whitewash our past and present. We owe it to our ancestors, we owe it to ourselves and our community, and we owe it to future generations.
We are inspired by Hugh Ryan's recent book, When Brooklyn Was Q***r, which outlines and uncovers the extensive legacy of q***r and trans people in the neighborhoods lining the historic waterfront as early as the 18th and 19th century through the first and second World Wars.
These pre-Stonewall chapters of our history have national significance and include historic figures including Walt Whitman along with one of the first prisons of le***an and trans Americans and some of the country's first entertainment districts serving working people across races, genders, and sexualities.
Join us in calling on NYC officials including the Mayor, Brooklyn Borough President, and NYC Council Members to recognize & memorialize our q***r waterfront’s history by adding your name at our link in bio.
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