In June 2021 the State of New Jersey released a series of enforcement actions by which it targeted gay bars during the mid-20th century when LGBTQ folks were prohibited from congregating for a few drinks or some company on premises licensed under the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Jersey Queens takes a deep dive into these historic documents. A thriving subculture existed in which gays and lesbians were existential heroes who celebrated their identity in defiance of the meddling bureaucrats. Moreover, the LGBTQ community and tavern owners united together in a stubborn resistance against the state intrusion into their personal lives and business affairs. Queer rage in New Jersey was simmering long before the 1969 uprising in New York at the Stonewall Inn.
Phillip Crawford Jr. 
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