Queer Newark

This collection highlights the overlooked queer history of Newark, focusing on the resilience and joy of its working-class people of color.

In Queer Newark, the authors explore an alternate history of LGBTQ life in America, emphasizing the experiences of working-class people of color. This collection of essays uncovers the vibrant sites and influential figures of Newark’s queer past, revealing how bars, discos, ballrooms, and churches served as vital spaces for community and expression. Despite the challenges of violence, poverty, and homophobia, the stories conveyed in this book highlight the resilience and joy that have flourished within these communities.

Typically, narratives surrounding gay and lesbian urban life focus on well-known metropolitan areas such as San Francisco and New York, often overlooking the rich histories found in economically depressed cities with majority Black and Hispanic populations. Newark, situated just a few miles from New York, has long been neglected in these discussions. Queer Newark seeks to rectify this oversight, shining a light on the unique experiences of its LGBTQ community and the historical contexts that shaped them.

Through a combination of rare archives, including oral histories and vice squad reports, the authors delve into topics such as the HIV/AIDS epidemic, police-community relations, Latinx immigration, and gentrification. By examining the intersections of class, race, gender, and sexuality, Queer Newark offers a fresh perspective on the complexities of queer urban life, ultimately rewriting the narrative of LGBTQ history in America.