Presentation at the New Haven Museum
Stonewall royalty Sylvia Rae Rivera (left) with wife, Julia Murray, and friend at New Haven Pride Center, June 2000. Courtesy John D. Allen
New Haven, Conn. (October 25, 2024) – The New Haven Museum will host, “New Haven’s Closet: 400 Years of Queer History in the Elm City” with LGBTQ+ historian John D. Allen on Thursday, November 14, 2024, at 6 p.m., preceded by a reception at 5:30 p.m., in collaboration with New Haven Pride Center. The free event will be held at the Museum, located at 114 Whitney Ave. Register here.
The evening’s presentation reveals how queer people, places, and events have contributed to New Haven’s robust history over four centuries. Allen will offer a virtual tour of Downtown New Haven – as seen through a queer lens. Discover a history hidden among the nine squares and surrounding area in the country’s first planned city.
Visitors will see where Cole Porter got his kick from champagne…Doors’ front man Jim Morrison was bloodied and arrested…Bette Davis had a bumpy night…Judy and Liza played on parallel streets…Jodi Foster’s hang out the night President Reagan was shot…frisky freshmen went subterranean for their meet and greets…and Connecticut’s first public gay execution in 1646.
Allen is the founder of the New Haven Pride Center where he served on the board of directors for 25 years. He is currently an ex-officio board member. Allen will base his presentation on his queer walking tour, “New Haven’s Closet: 400 Years of Queer History in the Elm City,” which he has given since 2015 during the International Festival of Arts & Ideas.
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