Help writer/historian HUGH RYAN make WHEN BROOKLYN WAS QUEER into an immersive VR experience that transports us into Brooklyn’s queer past

Some 6 years ago on a perfect sunny afternoon in Provincetown QG got to sit down with author/historian Hugh Ryan to talk about his new book WHEN BROOKLYN WAS QUEER.  If you are a regular reader of this website you will know by now that not only are we passionate about queer history, but we are also determined that it should be told and recorded by members of our own community.  And Hugh Ryan is: he’s an award-winning queer writer, curator, and historian living in NY whose book  THE WOMEN’S HOUSE OF DETENTION: A QUEER HISTORY OF A FORGOTTEN PRISON won the 2023 Stonewall Book Award from the American Library Association.  He also hosts Queer History 101, the bookclub & podcast from Allstora.com.

When we first met WHEN BROOKLYN WAS QUEER,  had just won the 2019 New York City Book Award, but now, with your help,  Hugh and the whole team behind WBWQ, want to take the next steps in sharing these stories live with the world at large. Their idea is to create an immersive VR experience that transports audiences into Brooklyn’s rich but often-erased LGBTQ+ history.  They intend to bring to life by a team of visionary queer artists and allies, and  as this new project has always been about more than telling a cool story with new tech—it’s a reclamation of AND declaration of space, memory and culture.

The story will introduce audiences to ‘Tillie‘ based on Ella Wesner a real life 19th century ‘influencer’ of their day, ‘Marion,’ a character inspired by Florence Hines, a legendary Black male impersonator (aka ‘Drag King’) who was also a cultural powerhouse who shaped the entertainment landscape and transformed the 19th-century vaudeville scene. This stylized, theatrical VR experience allows you to step inside Brooklyn’s hidden LGBTQ+ past, blending live performance, interactive storytelling and rich historical detail.

If you have the stomach to read The New York Times or can even stand to tune into CNN than you will know that the Despot in charge is set on wiping out both our past and present.  And with the deafening silence of the Democratic Party right now, we collectively as a queer community must take control of our own destinies and not rely on the support of our allies.  So the crowdfunding campaign for When Brooklyn Was Queer is officially going live—and we’re inviting you to be part of something bold, beautiful and deeply necessary.