The American LGBTQ+ Museum

THE WOMEN’S HOUSE OF DETENTION: A QUEER HISTORY OF A FORGOTTEN PRISION BY HUGH RYAN | HOSTED BY JAY EDIDIN

The American LGBTQ+ Museum Book Club is a space for community and connection, bridging generations through the magic of storytelling. The selections will be a mix of popular queer history and memoir with inspiring authors and iconic guest facilitators. The pages we turn will become stepping stones for intergenerational dialogue, fostering understanding, empathy, and unity. Together, we’ll traverse the landscapes of queer culture, savoring the nuances and complexities that make our stories uniquely ours.

This isn’t just a book club; it’s a movement. Reading together becomes a powerful act of empowerment, a catalyst for change, and a testament to the resilience of the LGBTQ+ spirit. Participants will be a part of something extraordinary. In this book club, we won’t just read, we’ll weave the threads of our stories into a tapestry of strength, resilience, and pride.

Author:

Hugh Ryan (he/him) is a writer and curator. His first book, When Brooklyn Was Queer, won a 2020 New York City Book Award, was a New York Times Editors’ Choice in 2019, and was a finalist for the Randy Shilts and Lambda Literary Awards. His second book, The Women’s House of Detention, explores the forgotten history of the maximum security prison that once dominated life in Greenwich Village. He has curated exhibits for NYU, The Leslie-Lohman Museum, and Visual AIDS. In 2020, he was honored with the Allan Berube Prize from the American Historical Association for his curatorial work. He has been awarded fellowships and residencies by the New York Public Library, The Watermill Center, and Yaddo. He holds an MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars.

Hosted by:

Jay Edidin is the Director of Advocacy and LGBTQIA+ Initiatives at the Women’s Community Justice Association, an organization that advocates with and on behalf of women and gender-expansive people impacted by mass incarceration. He comes from a lifetime of advocacy and organizing, from growing up in the nuclear freeze movement of the 1980s to agitating for consent training on college campuses and radical trans inclusion in queer activism. After seventeen years as a writer and editor, Jay left publishing to pursue a passion for human rights, culminating in a MA from John Jay College of Criminal Justice accompanied by seminal research on the impact of diagnostic criteria on the evolution of the Autistic self-advocacy movement. He believes that any true queer liberation must also encompass the abolition of mass incarceration. Jay lives in Queens with his spouse and toddler and what is objectively far too much yarn. If caught during a new moon, he can be compelled to answer any three questions about X-Men continuity.

Graphic:

Our beautiful graphic is designed by the incredible Loveis Wise (they/he), a multidisciplinary artist, designer, creative director, and Capricorn, drawing reimagined futures and playfulness in Los Angeles.

Accessibility:

This program will be presented via Zoom with live captioning in English. We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. Please reach out with any questions, requests or needs to info@americanlgbtqmuseum.org.