Queer History of Prohibition Video Event
About the Program:
This recorded video presentation—which you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home at a time that best fits your schedule—gives a fascinating look back at Prohibition, 100 years after it began!
As the ‘20s begin to roar again, there are a surprising number of similarities between the 1920s and the 2020s, particularly for LGBTQ Americans. In this video presentation, historian and playwright Daniel Hurewitz invites us to reconsider the lost history of Prohibition.
In part, the story is one of widening tolerance for and even celebration of gender-defying performers. As a “Pansy Craze” swept from Times Square to Hollywood, it made celebrities out of folks like the drag performer Jean Malin, the bawdy tuxedo-clad singer Gladys Bentley, and the sexually adventurous Mother of the Blues, Ma Rainey; it even landed a lesbian drama on Broadway.
And yet, at the same time, the end of Prohibition in 1933 brought new forms of censorship and moral regulation into American popular culture and nightlife––ones that increasingly drove LGBTQ individuals out of the mainstream, and into segregated isolation.
So, register now for this engaging illustrated talk to explore how the Prohibition Era both brought to a peak a long era of American tolerance for same-sex intimacy, but then slammed the door loudly to mark the start of something new and less welcoming.
This recorded video event includes the original PowerPoint—with wonderful images that you will be able to see directly on your computer screen, tablet, or mobile device.
About the Speaker:
Daniel Hurewitz is both a playwright and an associate professor of history at Hunter College. As a scholar, his work has focused on the development of 20th-century U.S. gendered and sexual identities and the emergence of LGBTQ politics. His first book, Stepping Out (1997), traced a history of LGBTQ life across Manhattan, presented as a series of walking tours. His second book, Bohemian Los Angeles and the Making of Modern Politics (2007), was named a Los Angeles Times bestseller and focused on the communities of L.A. artists, leftists, and queer activists who helped give birth to the American LGBTQ rights movement. More recently, he has been working to translate the scholarship of LGBTQ history to wider audiences. In part, that has involved working with the New York City Department of Education and local teachers to develop curriculum that they can bring into their classrooms. In addition, he has been writing plays about queer American history, such as “Reclamation” and “Nancy F***ing Reagan,” which was named “Best New Play” for the 2019 Los Angeles theater season.
Registration:
How to Register for ADSNY's Web-based programs:
- Click the gold Register button located to the left of the "About the Program" section
- Enter the requested information in the registration form and follow the instructions to pay online and complete your registration
- In a few moments, your registration confirmation containing your link and unique password to watch the video event will be sent to the email address you used to register. If you do not see this email in your inbox, please check your spam folder
If you need further assistance registering for this event, or are experiencing a different issue, please email Events@ArtDeco.org, let us know which events you would like to register for, and we will send you an invoice that can be easily completed without going through the ArtDeco.org website.
All ticket sales are final. Sorry, there are no refunds or exchanges.
ADSNY is not able to issue new access information for this video event after the expiration date of the access link and password you receive upon your registration.
