Queer Life in Quarantine

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Selections from The LGBT Community Center National History Archive's LGBTQuarantine Archive Project collection

Welcome to one of three exhibits highlighting contributions to The LGBT Community Center's LGBTQuarantine Archive Project, an open call to collect stories representing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine on our community.

Untitled [Black Lives Matter at Stonewall] (2020) by Jonathan Ned KatzThe Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Queer life in quarantine

In response to the particularities of the COVID-19 health crisis, the nature of social interaction and the means through which we experience connection has shifted. Some stay connected with those they live with, some meet loved ones in socially-distanced settings, while others maintain or create relationships through digital means. In a period when physical distance becomes a necessity for public health, social lives are transformed. Nonetheless, connection among our communities continues to be a source of hope and strength for many.

Untitled [Justice for Marsha P. Johnson] (2020) by Jonathan Ned KatzThe Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Plastics in the City (2020) by Timothy French (they/them/theirs)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Plastics in the City by Timothy French

“I have been taking photos of my Instagram project @PlasticsInTheCity to show how we all must social distance and wear protective gear during the pandemic.” What are you drawing hope or strength from right now? “Unity, hoping that in this pandemic and times of racism and police brutality that the black community gets treated equally and the white privileged system is dismantled.” Timothy French

Plastics in the City (2020) by Timothy French (they/them/theirs)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Plastics in the City (2020) by Timothy French (they/them/theirs)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

A Walk Through Times Square Theater District, April 9, 2020 (2020) by Matt Schicker (he/him/his)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

“Cuarentena” Social Media Video (2020) by Las Cardachians (shared by Matt Schicker)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Park Slope (2020) by Gary Wickham (he/him/his)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Park Slope by Gary Wickham

“Is there anything particularly queer about these images I’ve collected? On a first look, perhaps no. The thing that binds the photos together as a ‘collection’ is not a concept or practice, but a certain geography. I took them all within a small radius of my home in Downtown Brooklyn. [...] Having lived in the area for 25 years, this roving itinerary feels familiar and safe to my partner and me. Inside of this circle is where we shop, explore hidden corners, and spend countless hours walking for exercise and pleasure. The messages in the photos serve a variety of functions: to instruct, to entertain, to mobilize, to express solidarity or anger or empathy, to encourage, to provoke. What they all share, however, as signs (in the sense of both physical objects and semiotic practices) is an acknowledgement of the disruption of normal life in a time of pandemic." Gary Wickham

Apartment Building in Park Slope (2020) by Gary Wickham (he/him/his)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Quote (2020) by Gary Wickham (he/him/his)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Excerpt from answers to the Archive Project's questionnaire checking in with each contributor.

Cheers for Healthcare Workers, Fort Greene, Brooklyn, April 2020 (2020) by Gary Wickham (he/him/his)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Love in the Time of COVID-19 (2020) by Peter Robinson (he/him/his)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Quote (2020) by Peter Robinson (he/him/his)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Excerpt from answers to the Archive Project's questionnaire checking in with each contributor.

Untitled [Portrait in Isolation] (2020) by Lily Olsen (she/her/hers)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Untitled [Portait in Isolation] by Lily Olsen

“I took these portraits on March 16, when my girlfriend and I both had fevers that we later learned were the onset of COVID-19. [...]  As we were directed to quarantine and begin to stay away from others, our sickness thrust us together. Our illness positioned us to rely solely on each other, feeling confined and frightened, but still in the throes of new love. These images are a study of closeness and separation, unity and remove. In these photographs, we 'have it,' the source of fear and the source of love.” Lily Olsen

Untitled [Portrait in Isolation] (2020) by Lily Olsen (she/her/hers)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Quote (2001) by Belize P. Hernandez (she/they)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Excerpt from answers to the Archive Project's questionnaire checking in with each contributor.

Dante (they/them) & Holly (they/them) (2020) by Caitlin McCarthy (they/them/theirs)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Dante & Holly by Caitlin McCarthy

What are you drawing hope or strength from right now? “My partner. Turns out we really do like spending all of our time together. My cat. Trying to stay in the present moment rather than sit in the uncertainty: making space to enjoy the slant of the afternoon light through our windows, and the extra time to read in the morning, and the reward of a glass of wine on a Friday night. The knowledge this won't last forever. Radicalization all around. Freshly-baked cookies. Biking to our friends' to drop off said cookies.” Caitlin McCarthy

Untitled [Dima and Sasha] (2020) by Alexander KargaltsevThe Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Untitled [Dima & Sasha] (2020) by Alexander KargaltsevThe Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

WERK from Home (2020) by Barry Brown (he/him/his)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

WERK From Home by Barry Brown

“After our final staff meeting at The Center, Executive Director Glennda Testone was giving out suggestions of how we, as a staff, could stay connected via our Workplace page. One of those suggestions was to post what we were wearing during our work from home situation. This sparked a little idea in my mind to dress up in drag everyday and post the pictures for my co-workers to get a little bit of joy from, which I have dubbed 'WERK from Home.' My hope is that it brings a smile to people during this time. I love to dress up, so it has certainly brought me nothing but happiness. [...] It will keep going as long as I am working from home...or until I run out of drag clothing options.” Barry Brown

WERK from Home (2020) by Barry Brown (he/him/his)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

WERK From Home (2020) by Barry Brown (he/him/his)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Credits: Story

Curated by Veena Bobba in July, 2020 for The Center Archive. Special thanks to Dante Hussein, Caitlin McCarthy, and Avery Novitch--and all of the contributors to the project.

Titles in brackets were supplied by the curator.

To learn more about and contribute to The LGBTQuarantine Archive Project, visit
https://gaycenter.org/lgbtquarantine/

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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