When Harlem Was ‘as Gay as It Was Black’

This is the first comprehensive look we have had of the impact of queer culture on the nightlife and cultural Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s.

This interactive article from The New York Times may be of interest to those attuned to the history of Black and/or LGBTQ+ nightlife in America, particularly in New York City.

“Although many people associate the history of queer culture (a descriptor whose original negative usage has been transformed over time) in New York with Greenwich Village, events like the ball were not uncommon in Renaissance-era Harlem, where the L.G.B.T. population socialized in a variety of spaces, some of which were interracial.

“Their lives were frequently viewed as scandalous for the mores of the time.”