Queer History and the New York GEO

By Ava Bridges ’24

On the first night of the LGBTQ+ GEO, the group waited in the Gershwin theater, Wicked playbills in hand. As the house lights went down, they buzzed with excitement—the show was about to begin.

For the eight students and four faculty attending, the GEO to New York City was an opportunity to connect to the queer community outside of Groton.

“I was drawn to learning about the history of LGBTQ rights in the flesh in New York, while being able to hear personal stories and input from Ms. Hamlin and Mr. Melchior felt like a real treat,” said Jennifer Ho, one of the faculty members involved in the trip.

In the first two days, the group visited the Stonewall Monument, AIDS memorial, and Whitney museum. Their next stop was Lambda Legal. According to their website, Lambda is an organization dedicated to fighting for LGBTQ+ rights “through impact litigation, education, and public policy work.”

Lambda CEO Kevin Jennings gave a presentation on Lambda’s contributions to the fight for queer rights, including landmark cases like Lawrence v. Texas and Obergefell v. Hodges. He also told the group about the AIDS crisis and other general queer history. According to Lindsay Manugian ‘23, their visit exposed her to a broader queer community.“The network of queer people supporting each other is bigger than I thought, and there are so many opportunities to get involved,” she said. 

The next morning, the group visited the New York Public Library’s archives and learned about queer American history. The archives included notebooks from helpline operators, posters from protests, and queer publications like The Ladder. 

The GEO also went to the New York LGBT Community Center, which was founded in 1983 to offer support during the AIDS crisis. 

“Going into that space with people of all ages and knowing everyone in there was part of the community was such a comforting and powerful feeling,” Lindsey said.

On the last night, the group had dinner with queer Groton alums and discussed the school’s queer history and community. What is now known as the Super Secret Queer Club (SSQC) used to be the “Crochet Club,” a safe space for queer students to engage with each other on campus.

While the students and faculty learned about the alums’ experiences, the alums discovered the impact they’ve had at Groton. “They had no idea that the legacy of GSA has continued on,” Mrs. Ho said, “it was a nice moment for our students to witness.”