Recuperating the Historic: Queer Life before Stonewall
RECUPERATING THE HISTORIC: QUEER LIFE BEFORE STONEWALL, installation view VCFA, 2009
This sculptural installation work is an homage to the butch women who paved the way for queer women to live more freely in subsequent generations. WWII was a turning point for homosexuals, as they were then called. Along with others, homosexuals were drafted into the war effort during WWII. It was during furloughs while stateside that many homosexuals were able to meet for the first time and socialize with others like themselves in the gay bars that began to emerge in greater numbers in port towns. This was a first chance for many to discover they weren’t alone, to express their true selves in a space where they needn’t hide their secret in shame.
This historical moment heralded the beginning of the gay bar scene. For many lesbians, gender role playing was de rigor. Butch women dressed like men. In doing so, they were declaring themselves as capable of competing for the attention and affection of feminine women. But outside the bars these butch women had to survive in a hostile world that did not look kindly on their gender expression.
“Recuperating the Historic” imagines what courage it took for a butch woman to do something as common as getting a haircut in a barbershop. The larger-than-life butch is heroic in this piece. She is seated in the barber’s chair figured as a throne held up by the three (butch) graces. The two flanking collages on either side represent aspects of a typical butch’s life at the time. A Day in the Life, depicts the butch’s limited career choices other than manual labor, despite the fact that she may have had a college education. A Night in the Life, takes place in a gay bar relaxing with friends and lovers along with a cast of characters.
This historical moment heralded the beginning of the gay bar scene. For many lesbians, gender role playing was de rigor. Butch women dressed like men. In doing so, they were declaring themselves as capable of competing for the attention and affection of feminine women. But outside the bars these butch women had to survive in a hostile world that did not look kindly on their gender expression.
“Recuperating the Historic” imagines what courage it took for a butch woman to do something as common as getting a haircut in a barbershop. The larger-than-life butch is heroic in this piece. She is seated in the barber’s chair figured as a throne held up by the three (butch) graces. The two flanking collages on either side represent aspects of a typical butch’s life at the time. A Day in the Life, depicts the butch’s limited career choices other than manual labor, despite the fact that she may have had a college education. A Night in the Life, takes place in a gay bar relaxing with friends and lovers along with a cast of characters.
