Gay Christmas: The Queer History Behd Halloween

queer halloween history

{A spooky treat—a gut article om Jarett Henrson, a former Calgarian and historian of Canada, genr and sexualy, and the Brish Empire - K.} Today, many queer folks celebrate Halloween as a topsy-turvy Gay Christmas of sorts: an opportuny to live loudly and proudly as one’s thentic self. For sixteen-year-old Walter McHugh 1901, his…

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GAY CHRISTMAS: THE QUEER HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN

* queer halloween history *

There’s no gettg around — om outrageo makp and mp stum to unbridled self-exprsn, Halloween is undoubtedly gay.

But while may seem obv today how the LGBTQ+ muny me to embrace what many have labeled “Gay Christmas, ” this distctn wasn’t so clear om the start.

FLOP ERASUBSCRIBESIGN {"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","URL":","MAENTYOFPAGE":","HEADLE":"THE QUEER HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN","SCRIPTN":"ON MONSTERS, MEM, AND M3GAN","IMAGE":[{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":"}],"DATEPUBLISHED":"2022-10-17T12:00:11+00:00","DATEMODIFIED":"2022-10-17T12:00:11+00:00","ISACCSIBLEFORFREE":TE,"THOR":[{"@TYPE":"PERSON","NAME":"DAVID","URL":","SCRIPTN":"JOURNALIST, WRER, AND VIBER","INTIFIER":"ER:57788716","IMAGE":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","NTENTURL":","THUMBNAILURL":"}}],"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"FLOP ERA","URL":","SCRIPTN":"MGS ON POP CULTURE, CULTURAL TRENDS, AND ALL THGS GEN Z","TERACTNSTATISTIC":{"@TYPE":"INTERACTNCOUNTER","NAME":"SUBSCRIBERS","TERACTNTYPE":","ERINTERACTNCOUNT":10},"INTIFIER":"PUB:559519","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","NTENTURL":","THUMBNAILURL":"},"IMAGE":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","NTENTURL":","THUMBNAILURL":"}}}SHARE THIS POSTWHY ARE GAYS SO OBSSED WH HALLOWEEN?COPY LKFACEBOOKEMAILNOTOTHERWHY ARE GAYS SO OBSSED WH HALLOWEEN?

Today we’re back to celebrate the BIGGEST holiday the queer world. A revered and honored tradn that dat back nearly a century. The “great gay holiday” as poet Judy Grahn once said referrg of urse to Halloween. We hope of urse that you all have laid out your stockgs and makp and ha * queer halloween history *

While San Francis had bee a gay haven durg the 1940s and 50s, the Castro remaed predomantly Irish Catholic. As fai started movg out to the suburbs, gay men moved , followg the gay bars and bs that had opened the area.

THE QUEER HISTORY (AND PRENT) OF NYC'S VILLAGE HALLOWEEN PARAJEANNE FLEMG, ARTISTIC/PRODUCG DIRECTOR OF THE PARA FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS, FILLS {FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}LIFEBY BRYAN VAN GORROCTOBER 22, 2018/1:19 {HEIGHT:HER;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;POSN:RELATIVE;-WEBK-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-MS-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-WEBK-ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-ALIGN:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-ALIGN:CENTER;ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-WEBK-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;-MS-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;} IMG{HEIGHT:100%;WIDTH:100%;OBJECT-F:VER;}{HEIGHT:4912PX;WIDTH:7360PX;}COURTY OF THE VILLAGE HALLOWEEN PARABY BRYAN VAN GORROCTOBER 22, 2018 / 1:19 PM{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","HEADLE":"THE QUEER HISTORY (AND PRENT) OF NYC'S VILLAGE HALLOWEEN PARA","THUMBNAILURL":","DATEPUBLISHED":"2018-10-22T17:19:29.000+0000","DATEMODIFIED":"2018-10-22T17:19:29.000+0000","IMAGE":{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1920,"HEIGHT":1080},"URL":","THOR":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"LOGO TV"},"MAENTYOFPAGE":{"@TYPE":"WEBPAGE","@ID":"},"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","@ID":","NAME":"LOGO TV","URL":","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT"}},"CREATOR":"BRYAN VAN GORR","KEYWORDS":"TRAVEL","ARTICLESECTN":"LIFE"}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}NEW YORK’S VILLAGE HALLOWEEN PARA TURNS 45 THIS YEAR. THE ANNUAL PROCSN OF 60,000 STUMED PARTICIPANTS ATTRACTS NEARLY 2 LN TIMATED ONLOOKERS, MAKG THE LARGT EVENT OF S KD THE WORLD. DPE S ENORMO SIZE, THE VILLAGE HALLOWEEN PARA NTU TO FEEL LIKE A HOMEGROWN, GRASSROOTS EVENT DUE MOSTLY TO S HUMBLE ROOTS AND THE TIRELS EFFORTS OF JEANNE FLEMG, THE ARTISTIC/PRODUCG DIRECTOR OF THE PARA FOR MORE THAN THREE S.PHOTO URTY OF THE VILLAGE HALLOWEEN {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}“THE WAY THE PARA STARTED WAS THAT THERE WAS A MASK MAKER AND PUPPETEER WHO LIVED GREENWICH VILLAGE, AND HE WALKED OM HOE TO HOE AROUND THE PARK—WASHGTON SQUARE PARK—WH HIS KIDS,” EXPLAS FLEMG. “THEN THE NEXT YEAR SOME PEOPLE JUMPED ON. AND, THE NEXT YEAR, MORE PEOPLE JUMPED ON.”{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}INED, AFTER S SEND YEAR, THEATER FOR THE NEW CY STEPPED AND PRODUCED THE EVENT, CREASG THE LENGTH OF THE PARA ROUTE AND DRAWG MORE PARTICIPATN. THE FOLLOWG YEAR THE VILLAGE HALLOWEEN PARA FORMED SELF TO A NOT-FOR-PROF ANIZATN, PRODUCED THE PARA ON S OWN.COURTY OF VILLAGE HALLOWEEN {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}“TIM WERE CHANGG. PEOPLE WERE STARTG TO E OUT,” RELLS FLEMG. “IN THOSE DAYS, THE WT VILLAGE WAS FILLED WH CREATIVE PEOPLE AND THE GAY MUNY WAS CENTERED THERE. SO MANY WAYS, AT THAT TIME, THIS WAS PRI.”{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}OF URSE, MARCH FOR LGBTQ RIGHTS SPURRED ON BY THE STONEWALL RTS HAD STARTED TAKG PLACE NEW YORK, AND ELSEWHERE THE UNTRY, 1969. HOWEVER, THOSE MARCH WERE FIANT AND POLIL, NOT THE FLAMBOYANT CELEBRATNS WE ASSOCIATE WH PRI PARAS TODAY.COURTY OF THE VILLAGE HALLOWEEN PARA2017-10-31 NEW YORK CY’S 44TH ANNUALVILLAGE HALLOWEEN {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}VILLAGE HALLOWEEN PARADE"]{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}“THEN AIDS ME AND THAT KD OF CHANGED EVERYTHG,” SAYS {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}ALTHOUGH THE VILLAGE HALLOWEEN PARA WOULD RRY ON, WOULD CEASE TO BE THE FACTO PRI EVENT FOR THE CY'S LGBTQ MUNY. IN THE FACE OF GLOBAL PANMIC'S RISE, QUEER NEW YORKERS NCENTRATED THEIR EFFORTS ON CREASG VISIBILY THROUGH THEIR OWN DITED EVENTS AND PRI PARAS.COURTY OF VILLAGE HALLOWEEN {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}HOWEVER, EVEN TODAY, AIDS NTU TO IMPACT THE VILLAGE HALLOWEEN PARA. THE OFFICIAL AFTER PARTY, HELD AT THE NCLN OF THE PARA, WILL BE AN OVER-THE-TOP GALA EVENT TO BENEF REARCH FOUNDATN TO CURE AIDS (RFTCA). EXTREME STUMER—AND THIS YEAR'S GRAND MARSHAL—MACHE DAZZLE (ABOVE) WILL HOST THE AFTER PARTY'S $5,000 BT STUME {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"MACHE DAZZLE'S PARTICIPATN IS PECIALLY PERFECT BEE THIS YEAR OUR THEME IS, 'I AM A ROBOT,'" STAT FLEMG. PARTICIPANTS ARE ENURAGED TO E DRSED AS THEIR FAVORE CYB, ARTIFICIAL HUMAN, ROBOT, OR MACHE AND, FOR THE PARA'S FIRST TIME, THIS GROUP WILL BE SIGNATED S OWN SPOT THE PARA.PHOTO URTY OF THE VILLAGE HALLOWEEN {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}AS FOR FLEMG'S FAVORE STUM OF ALL TIME?{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}“THERE ARE SO MANY. THERE WAS A GUY WHO ME AS VCENT VAN GOGH OM ONE OF HIS PATGS," SHE RELLS. "ONE OF MY FAVOR EVER THE PARA—DID YOU EVER SEE THE TWA AIRLE STEWARSS? THEY HAD THE LTLE ROUND HAT BOX AS PURS. AND THEY WOULD STOP AND POSE. AND THE FIRST WOULD TURN HIS PURSE AROUND AND WOULD SPELL 'T', AND THE SEND ONE WOULD SPELL 'W', THEN 'A', AND FALLY THE LAST ONE TURNED AROUND A 'T'. AND, THEY'D LGH AND N AWAY AND DO AGA."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO JO, THE 45TH ANNUAL PARA TAK PLACE WEDNDAY, OCTOBER 31, AT 7 {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;CLEAR:BOTH;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG:0 TO;WIDTH:90%;M-WIDTH:288PX;MAX-WIDTH:1440PX;M-HEIGHT:194PX;}LATT NEWS

The spookit, and gayt, time of year is here! * queer halloween history *

The once-children’s ftival found self morphg to a street party for the area’s gay populatn. Siar wild, queer Halloween celebratns arose the gay enclav of ci like Wt Hollywood, New York, and Key Wt.

It’s no wonr, then, that Halloween’s gay inty has only bee stronger today, wh newer LGBTQ+ artists releasg spooky, Halloween-spired hs to aid this transformatn. The mixtape almost begs to be played at any and every party this Gay Christmas, wh s mpy vib, club ambience, and appearance of Elvira, mabre entertaer and horror hero of the gay muny.

In many ways, Turn Off the Light, is like the culmatn of a half-century long procs, a thartic embodiment of Halloween’s very gay history.

WHY HALLOWEEN IS 'GAY CHRISTMAS' TO MANY LGBTQ AMERINS

Halloween is an teemed holiday for the LGBTQ+ muny and the gays seems to eat up anythg horror or thriller. Some may say Halloween is an stutn the LGBTQ+ muny — a “gay Christmas.

Acrdg to Ste, the term “gay Christmas” stems om “bch Christmas, ” which the Philalphia’s queer muny the 1950s/60s would drs up and party bars durg Halloween. Monsters and villas are sometim rooted for or admired bee they’re seen as unrdogs or misunrstood, quali that the LGBTQ+ muny historilly n related to as livg a homophobic and transphobic society.

Mere hours later, Megan has been adopted by gays as an inic absurd horror film figure alongsi Annabelle, Tiffany, Sue Ann "Ma, ” and more.

RACG TO PRERVE THE HISTORY OF MAE’S 1ST GAY RIGHTS ANIZATN

Police were often openly homophobic while, the meantime, more and more young LGBT people were movg to the cy, seekg the opportuny to be themselv. It “had been staked out years before as the homosexual high holiday, ” Shilts explas: “gays did, after all, live most of their liv behd masks. ”’ And for the rt of the eveng, at a time when was illegal even for gay people to “peaceably assemble, ” the San Francisns were ee to celebrate and roe a tremendo street party—until the clock stck midnight.

HALLOWEEN IS THE GAYT HOLIDAY — AND EVERYONE IS FALLY CATCHG UP

“When the hours shifted om October 31 to November 1, the iron fist of Lilly Law, ” the then-current gay slang for a policeman, “would fall aga. For the next six s, that night would be a highlight of San Francis’s gay lendars—until, 2007, when the Halloween party was ncelled by cy officials, due to overcrowdg and repeated cints of vlence.

But homophob began g trouble, settg fire to gay-owned bs or lurkg at the edge of the crowd, wag to attack people they believed to be gay or lbian. A new era of sexual openns had brought a wave of gay migratn crashg down on San Francis’s shor, ready to take to s streets. Today, many queer folks celebrate Halloween as a topsy-turvy Gay Christmas of sorts: an opportuny to live loudly and proudly as one’s thentic self.

This entry was posted Gay history and tagged bisexual, Calgary, gay, Gay history, Halloween, J. “In those days, the Wt Village was filled wh creative people and the gay muny was centered there. The “great gay holiday” as poet Judy Grahn once said referrg of urse to Halloween.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* QUEER HALLOWEEN HISTORY

Gay Christmas: The Queer History of Halloween — afterglow .

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