Is Roosevelt Island Exposed? Gay History And Fabulous Tales

Roosevelt Island’s little known gay history jumped out of the figurative closet, in 2019, at Joe’s Pub. It’s a musical. The Gorgeous Nothings In Concert.

By David Stone

Roosevelt Island Daily News

We learned something in 2019, when a theatre company, Life Jacket, brightly exposed Roosevelt Island’s gay history.

No, it didn’t start with Four Freedoms Park’s giant Ascend With Pride flag, that June.

Gay history spins all the way back to the 1930s with men imprisoned on Roosevelt Island for “lewd and unnatural acts which offend the public decency” (New York Penal Law 722, Section 690).”

That inspired The Gorgeous Nothings, gayly reviewed in Broadway World.

The workshop performance, based on extensive research, looks forward to a broader audience. Credit goes to the Roosevelt Island Historical Society for a major dose of archival resources.

But, in truth, Roosevelt Island Gay History is not exactly right. Back in the 1930s, it was Welfare Island but still the same slab of schist jutting out of the East River.

And it took place in a penitentiary, not Southpoint or Four Freedoms Parks, which occupy the space now.

The Fag Follies: Roosevelt Island Gay History

Welfare Island is where New York City once sent its undesirables. The prison later relocated to Rikers, but in the 1930s, smallpox victims, the insane, the poor and gays shipped up the river.

Funny thing is, the enlightened souls of 1930s New York thought homosexuality contagious. Some Republicans still do.

To avoid contamination, the city fathers segregated the population.

And according to Bobby Patrick’s review, they “did what gays do and made something beautiful out of the worst possible circumstance.”

At Christmas, the Fag Follies sang out the bawdiest works of Noel Coward, Irving Berlin and Lorenz Hart.

How about Nobody Loves A Fairy or Taint Nobody’s Business If I Do?

You won’t hear them anywhere else. Read the whole story and keep up with its development.

Roosevelt Island’s growing gay history has deep roots.

More from Assorted Ideas, Large & Small

• 
  The Real New York City, Down and DirtyJanuary 28, 2023
  You know the saying, “If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere?” Well, that’s BS. I’m from the real New York City and let me tell you, it ain’t easy
• 
  What is a cat’s lifespan now? Shorter than ours but…January 28, 2023
  Cats are one of the most popular pets in the world, and a cat’s lifespan varies depending on a number of factors. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at how long cats typically
• 
  Will New York Be Underwater by 2050?January 27, 2023
  Climate change is a real and present danger to our planet. New York City is one of the most vulnerable areas in the world when it comes to rising sea levels. If something isn’t done
• 
  Cats Quotes – Insightful and Amusing Words from Smart MindsJanuary 27, 2023
  National Cat Day is October 29th, and looking ahead, that got us thinking about all the ways cats have entwined themselves in peoples’ lives. This collection of cats quotes illustrates the breadth and depth of
• 
  Mayor Adams Lays Out ‘Working People’s Agenda’ in State of the City SpeechJanuary 27, 2023
  Mayor Eric Adams promised more jobs and housing — and fewer rats — during his second “state of the city” speech Thursday, where he laid out what he called a “Working People’s Agenda” for his

davidstone1313

See author's posts