South Street Seaport Museum to Present 'Queer History: Drag And The Waterfront'

South Street Seaport Museum will present Queer History: Drag and the Waterfront, featuring author and drag legend Linda Simpson on February 17, 2023, at 7pm at The Green Room at Pier 17, 89 South Street, NYC. This event is free, and advanced registration is required. For more information and to register for this all-ages event, visit seaportmuseum.org/queer-history-drag.

Why are queer communities often found at geographic peripheries like the waterfront? What is the connection between drag and the seaport? Join the Seaport Museum for a conversation with drag performer and documentarian Linda Simpson, who will answer these questions while illuminating the "herstory" of drag on the waterfront.

In this lively presentation, Linda Simpson explores the relationships between queer community and geographic periphery and drag and New York's seaport. She will share personal photos and memories (including the annual Wigstock and a drag-themed boat cruise that embarked from the South Street Seaport) curated for this event-a firsthand archive of the rise and evolution of drag and queer activism in New York City during the 1980s and 90s.

Linda's lookback on nightlife, queer activism, and pop-culture moments, not to mention colorful characters such as Lady Bunny, Lypsinka, Mona Foot, RuPaul, and Leigh Bowery, will educate, entertain, and provide a deeper understanding of those who laid the foundation for today's drag renaissance.

A complimentary toast will follow the presentation.

Be sure to review the latest COVID-19 protocols before attending.

About Linda Simpson

After more than 30 years as a drag queen, Linda Simpson continues to dazzle her fans with her witty demeanor, fine-tuned camp sensibility and unique blend of sass and class. Since emerging from the East Village drag scene in the late 1980s, the multi-faced queen has racked up a mile-long list of creative endeavors, including nightlife work galore as a hostess and party promoter; publishing the "revolutionary gay magazine" My Comrade; writing and starring in four different plays; and extensive work as a journalist, often in cahoots with her male alter ego, Les Simpson. Another of Linda's roles is drag her-storian who has been featured in oodles of articles, videos and documentaries. The New York Times has called her "A worldly wit... A kind of mother superior of the New York drag scene," while Paper considers her "The thinking woman's drag queen."

About The Green Room

The Green Room is located inside the Pier 17 complex, at 89 South Street, offering a panoramic view of the Lower Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge. Look for elevators or escalators to take you to this event on the third floor. The use of this space has been kindly donated by The Howard Hughes Corporation.

About the South Street Seaport Museum

The South Street Seaport Museum, located in the heart of the historic seaport district in New York City, preserves and interprets the history of New York as a great port city. Founded in 1967, the Museum houses an extensive collection of works of art and artifacts, a maritime reference library, exhibition galleries and education spaces, working 19th century print shops, and an active fleet of historic vessels that all work to tell the story of "Where New York Begins." seaportmuseum.org