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Hugh Ryan

@hughryan.bsky.social
4.8K followers 1.6K following 1.3K posts

Author & queer historian. MY BAD: A PERSONAL HISTORY OF THE QUEER 90S AND BEYOND is available for preorders now! Previously: The Women’s House of Detention (2022) and When Brooklyn Was Queer (2019) linktr.ee/HughRyan

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Hugh Ryan @hughryan.bsky.social · 14h
Join us! This is going to be a fantastic conversation
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Timothy Stewart-Winter @timothysw.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
I’m excited to talk about my new book OUTED in places pivotal to the story: New York, Washington, and Austin. First up, bgsqd.bsky.social on 10/16 at 7PM in conversation w/ @hughryan.bsky.social! #gayhistory #lgbtqhistory #queerhistory #lbj #lgbtqhistorymonth
Flyer for the book tour for *Outed: LBJ's Confidant and the Arrest That Transformed a Presidency* by Timothy Stewart-Winter. Three event panels:

New York: The Bureau (BGSQD), October 16, 2026, 7pm, at the LGBT Community Center, 208 W 13th St, Room 210. In conversation with Hugh Ryan, author of *When Brooklyn Was Queer*.

Washington, DC: Politics & Prose Wharf, January 13, 2027, 7pm. In conversation with Thomas Mallon, author of *Fellow Travelers*.

Austin: LBJ Presidential Library, February 2, 2027, 12pm. In conversation with Mark Atwood Lawrence, former LBJ Library director and coeditor of *LBJ's America*.

For details and more events, visit timsw.com/events.
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Timothy Stewart-Winter @timothysw.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
NYC! I’m launching my new book OUTED at the Bureau bookstore (inside the LGBT Center at 208 W 13th St) on Friday, Oct. 16 at 7pm, in conversation with Hugh Ryan, author of When Brooklyn Was Queer and The Women’s House of Detention. RSVP: www.eventbrite.com/e/book-launc...
Flyer for a book launch for OUTED by Timothy Stewart-Winter, Friday Oct 16 at 7pm at The Bureau, 208 W 13th St, Room 210, New York City. In conversation with Hugh Ryan. RSVP at bgsqd.com/events. Shows the book cover and two photos of the speakers.
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Nancy Levine Stearns @nancylevinestearns.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
🚨NEW by me: New ICE facility for unaccompanied migrant kids is about to open in Louisiana. While ICE is sanitizing optics, calling it the "Alexandria Family Staging Center," lawmakers and child advocates are raising the roof warning of child trafficking risks. www.thequeenzone.com/new-ice-faci...
thequeenzone.com
New ICE Facility for Migrant Children Raises Alarm Over Trafficking Risks
A new ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) facility for unaccompanied children, families, and single women is set to...
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Dan Sinykin @dan-sinnamon.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Working on this reported essay, just published, increasingly took over my life for the last two months. PEN America did a terrible disservice with its sloppy reporting about American Jews and Israelis in publishing in July. Josh Lambert and I tried to do better. jewishcurrents.org/what-pen-ame...
jewishcurrents.org
What PEN America Got Wrong About Antisemitism in Publishing
Misleading anecdotes, flawed data, and oversimplified analyses are at the heart of a narrative of Jewish exclusion promoted by the free expression…
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Matt Baume 🏳️‍🌈 @mattbaume.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Big queer history party in New York next week, hosted by the delightful @hughryan.bsky.social -- if you're in town you should go to this! And report back to me so I can fume with jealousy! www.eventbrite.com/e/october-la...
ad for a lavender literary society event, a 50th anniversary celebration of "gay american history" with jonathan ned katz
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Hugh Ryan @hughryan.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Wish you could come!!
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Hugh Ryan @hughryan.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
D is a real one - give if you can! www.gofundme.com/f/hyw7j-help...
gofundme.com
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Elon Green @elongreen.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
An essential book.
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Hugh Ryan @hughryan.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
💕💕💕 thank you friend!
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Hugh Ryan @hughryan.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Love to see WHEN BROOKLYN WAS QUEER make the list! www.bkreader.com/arts-enterta...
bkreader.com
Borough President's List of Ten Brooklyn-Defining Book Titles
The reading list offers a literary snapshot of Brooklyn’s history, communities and changing identity after this year’s Brooklyn Book Festival.
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Scare Smith 💀 @evilgalprods.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
FATALITY
A tweet from Joyce Carol Oates: overall takeaway from the Curtis Yarvin profile is that there must be millions of smart-aleck show-offy kids who annoy their teachers and go on to annoy other adults through their lives with their “contrarian” pose that hardens to a carapace over their faces; until, as adults, they still harbor a delusion that, if there is a king, or a fuhrer, he’d be impressed with the guys motor mouth and appoint him to his cabinet rather than deleting him with a negligent swipe of his wrist as Stalin did routinely.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/09/2026
🤡 Schmitt beclowns himself 🤡 Schmitt concocted an elaborate conspiracy theory that Smith traveled to Atl for a Hawks game and to collude with Fani Willis, & flashed his "evidence" before accusing Smith of perjury. There's just one problem -- his facts were totally wrong. Here's the whole sequence:
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nick @unionnick.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
On the *same day* the Cornell Seven drugged and raped Jane Doe, Cornell banned four students (including the President of Cornell JVP) from campus for three years for nonviolent, pro-Palestine protests. The same Cornell officials let the rapists off with apology essays.
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Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Here’s Chris Rufo and his podcast co-host addressing “the Indian question,” a reference to “the Jewish question.” That question was whether Jews could be incorporated into European society, and the Nazis were the ones who claimed to have developed the “final solution” to that “problem.”
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Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 25/09/2026
Global politics's hottest new gay couple (polycule??) just debuted
advocate.com
Gay Dutch prime minister & Zohran Mamdani visit LGBTQ+ archive — and hear from young New Yorkers it serves
Rob Jetten, prime minister of the Netherlands, joined New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at a New York City LGBTQ+ center.
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Hugh Ryan @hughryan.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Awwww THANK YOU
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
DoorDash spent $1.4M trying to stop Zohran Mamdani from becoming mayor. This week's historic $131.5M enforcement action against DoorDash for underpaying NYC delivery workers shows why. Yet another reminder that the only thing that can beat organized money is organized people.
theintercept.com
DoorDash Spent $1.4 Million Trying to Stop Mamdani From Becoming Mayor. Now We Know Why.
In a wage-theft settlement, DoorDash now has to pay its workers around 100 times what it spent trying to beat Zohran Mam
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Greg @woolybearg.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Finished up and highly recommend.
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Hugh Ryan @hughryan.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
❤️❤️ thank you!
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Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 25/09/2026
Two thing can be true. The WH kicking out media it doesn’t like is absolutely a First Amendment violation. And There is little journalism of value to be found in the highly controlled, substance-free halls of power—wall-to-wall navel-gazing about one’s access probably being of the least value.
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Saeed Jones @theferocity.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
We can’t allow this man to get within striking distance of a viable presidential candidacy.
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Alona Ferber @aloner.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
More than a 1000 Israeli filmakers have signed a petition in support of the filmmakers, amid this mass, societal (and highly undemocratic) bullying www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
haaretz.com
Over a thousand Israeli filmmakers sign petition supporting 'NAZA' creators
As Israel's culture minister lashed out against the documentary alleging Israeli mass killings in Gaza, top Israeli filmmakers supported the film: 'The central role of art and journalism is to hold a ...
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Vachenzo - The Maine Enby @vachenzo.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Adding on some projects I love to this thread: Queer History Boston (formerly The History Project) is a great community collection. University of Southern Maine hosts Maine's largest LGBTQ+ collection all donated by community members and has a ton of digitized resources.
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Hugh Ryan @hughryan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I've been waiting for this book for so long!
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Hugh Ryan @hughryan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Yes! And in building community institutions. So many great people doing this work - Gerber Hart, Invisible History, SF GLBT Center, William Way, the LGBT Center in Manhattan, Lesbian Herstory Archives, The Tretter Collection, the American LGBTQ+ Museum. Separatism gets a bad rap but it has a place!
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Brian G. aka urbanbohemian 🪩🥂💖 @urbanbohemian.com · 23/09/2026
They capitulated, they complied, and the result is that it just emboldens these people. The state representative immediately crowed and celebrated on social media. "We did it again!!… My X feed continues doing more oversight than all the rest of TxLege… combined!!" *ugh*
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Amelia Smith @nturavrgcistory.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
In the 1970s, the Canadian Gay Archives was approached by the Ontario Archives to take over some of the CGA's material. It was a moment of deep reflection. In the end, they chose to reject the offer out of fear that a homophobic government would decide to eliminate it, a la Nazi Germany.
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Hugh Ryan @hughryan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Welcome to the Purge (queer history edition) dentonrc.com/education/hi...
dentonrc.com
UNT removes LGBTQ+ archive page after social media post by Texas representative
The University of North Texas took down the homepage of its LGBTQ+ archive, a collaborative project documenting queer culture and history, following a post on X by state Rep. Brian
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 22/09/2026
DoorDash has ripped off more than 260,000 NYC delivery workers. We’re making them pay $131.5 million — the largest worker settlement in City history. This is New York, where hard work pays and greed will cost you.
DoorDash messed up.
They repeatedly left more than 260,000 NYC delivery workers underpaid or paid late, causing them immense stress and financial difficulty.
That's unacceptable.
We've secured a $131.5M settlement from
DoorDash - the largest worker settlement in NYC history and largest delivery worker settlement in
American municipal history.
Every worker will be paid what they are owed, and every company will be forced to abide by the laws of this city.

LOGOS:
The OFFICE of the MAYOR of NYC
NYC Consumer and Worker Protection Mayor Mamdani and Deliveristas representatives stand behind a podium.Mayor Mamdani signs a giant check.Three delivery workers holding a giant fake check for $131.5M.
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Hugh Ryan @hughryan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Jules Gill-Peterson has done some great work on this! sadbrowngirl.substack.com/p/do-transge...
sadbrowngirl.substack.com
Do Transgender Rights Hinge on Antebellum Laws?
Is There a History of Anti-Transgender Discrimination? (Introduction)
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Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The entire presidential television press pool — Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN — has agreed to suspend coverage in the wake of Trump’s decision to ban CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from the White House
newrepublic.com
Major TV Networks Band Together in Boycott After Trump’s Ban on CNN
The five major TV networks are joining forces after Trump’s press ban.
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Ruth Ben-Ghiat @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Trump's ban on MSNOW, CNN, and Politico is not only part of the autocratic playbook, but the timing is no coincidence. Trump is well in the autocratic backfire process, thus, entire media outlets he sees as threats must be banished. This is a moment of reckoning for America.
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Anodyne @anodynesix.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
"[My son] said that if he had not received gender-affirming care, he would be dead. ... Parents are very angry, and scared."
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Hugh Ryan @hughryan.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Thanks for listening and hope you're enjoying me chewing off your ear for a dozen hours! <3
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Erin L. Thompson @artcrimeprof.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
In 1965, an American scholar bought her first stolen god from two boys outside a Kathmandu temple. Grains of rice were still stuck to it — offerings from worshippers. She paid less than $2 and wrote in her diary: "I don't think the temple will miss it at all." 🧵 www.himalmag.com/mary-slusser...
himalmag.com
Mary Slusser’s secret loot of Nepal’s sacred art and heritage
A US scholar made her name as an expert on Nepal’s cultural heritage – while illicitly buying sacred artefacts and smuggling them out to the United States
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Hugh Ryan @hughryan.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Oh no I said the word "blame" too many times in a row and now it no longer feels like a word at all
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Erin L. Thompson @artcrimeprof.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Teaser reel for my big investigation, out tomorrow!
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Oliver Darcy @oliverdarcy.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Bari Weiss has plunged CBS News into ratings calamity. —"Evening News" has posted worst ratings of 21st century —"CBS Mornings" has posted worst ratings of 21st century —And now "60 Minutes" has posted worst ratings of 21st century More in @status.news: www.status.news/p/60-minutes...
status.news
Bari’s ‘60’ Bust
Bari Weiss blew up “60 Minutes," ostensibly to create a better show. Instead, her revamped premiere just suffered its worst debut ratings of the 21st century—what one longtime TV executive told Status...
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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
i'm not sure if robert kraft quite grasps what he started
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Hugh Ryan @hughryan.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Thanks for reading two of my books in one summer! 🥰
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Hugh Ryan @hughryan.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
❤️❤️❤️
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Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
New: Macklemore says Robert Kraft — who owns Gillette Stadium, where Macklemore & Ed Sheeran were to perform later this month — called Sheeran. Kraft rallied other owners together behind an ultimatum for Sheeran: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you won't be allowed in our venues.

I'm not sure how to start this. So I'm going to speak from the heart and share the truth. Ed Sheeran and his team have made the decision to remove me from The Loop tour.
But before I get into it, I want to say something that should be obvious. In this moment I think it matters. I am not a victim. Ed Sheeran is not a victim. Pink is not a victim. We have careers, money, opportunities, safety and audiences around the world. Whatever consequences any of us face for what we say, we get to go home to our families.

The victims are the Palestinian people. The men, women and children who have been killed, starved, displaced and forced to live through unimaginable violence. More than 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza alone. People are being killed today, and people will be killed tomorrow. I want to make sure that as I tell this story, we don't lose sight of that.

Ed is my friend. I've known him for 13 years. We've shared late nights, studio sessions and stages. He has this infectious magic about him that I've grown to love. I consider him a brother. And because of that, we've had some difficult conversations this past week. The type of talks rooted in love and respect for one another that still end in a place of fundamental disagreement. Nothing I'm writing here is out of spite or because I want to tear down his character. But as I told Ed multiple times on the phone, our friendship can't change my responsibility to tell the truth about what happened.

Last Monday, in the middle of all the media attention surrounding Pink and what I said at MetLife, Ed told me that Robert Kraft called him. We were scheduled to play Gillette Stadium later this month, which is owned by the Kraft Group. Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium. Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other
stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.

Ed was in …What I said at MetLife I have been saying on stages around the world for almost three years. So why is it an issue now? Because now I'm sharing a stage with one of the biggest artists in the world, in some of the biggest stadiums in America. At a certain level of exposure, "Free Palestine" becomes too much of a risk. If I kept doing the shows, saying Free Palestine, with Ed implicitly supporting it, the crowd getting loud and showing undeniable support for Palestinian liberation, what artist might speak out next? The stage becomes resistance. Maybe that's why this time it became so important to silence me.

And one of the most effective ways to enforce that silence has been to weaponize the accusation of antisemitism. Antisemitism is real. And that is exactly why the word matters too much to be used as a shield against criticism of the Israeli state. When criticizing Israel, opposing Zionism or saying "Free Palestine" gets conflated with hatred of Jewish people, it doesn't protect Jewish people. It protects Israel from accountability.

I hope this isn't the end of my relationship with Ed.
Thirteen years of friendship doesn't disappear because of one painful disagreement. I hope we both continue listening, studying what is happening in Palestine and wrestling with what neutrality means in a moment like this. My door will always be open to continuing that conversation.

When my brother Omar was doing the subtitles for the video I posted from MetLife, I thanked him. He told me there's a phrase in Arabic:
لا شكر على واجب
"La shukra ala wajeb." There is no thanks for a duty.
That stayed with me. Because that's what this has become for me and millions of others around the world. A duty. Not something deserving of praise or gratitude. Not brave. Human.

Who is winning the internet, who is getting canceled, who gets to play the stadium and who doesn't, all of it becomes so small when held against what we are actually witnessing in Gaza and the West Bank. An entire people be…
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Kashana @kashana.blacksky.app · 14/09/2026
RIP to the guy who convinced us all that Tina Turner was tall
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
I resigned from ExxonMobil today. I spent the last three years doing fossil fuel extraction research at both BP and ExxonMobil. Neither company is acting responsibly. They are racing to maximize extraction while the window to act closes, and gambling with our lives. More below.
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Hugh Ryan @hughryan.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
❤️❤️❤️
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Hugh Ryan @hughryan.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Thank you! ❤️❤️
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Cat Fitzpatrick @catfitzpatrick.net · 05/05/2026
I believe last time me and Sybil and Casey all read together was 2014 in the gay center in Los Angeles after a road trip from San Francisco of such epic proportions I wrote a sonnet sequence about it This time we are all driving up from Ohio instead but it will be just like this again I am sure:
2009-2019.poetryproject.org
California Encomia by Cat Fitzpatrick - The Poetry Project
Cat Fitzpatrick, Sophia Shalmiyev, Michelle Tea Wednesday, February 6, 2019 Tickets The Road, The Hills Finding the road is always hard. We’re wrong Then wrong again. I blame the GPS. We are a car of ...
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Hugh Ryan @hughryan.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
www.nyc.gov/mayors-offic...
nyc.gov
Transcript: 25 Years Later, Mamdani Adminstrtation Opens City's 9/11 Records to the Public and Settles Multi-Year Legal Battle
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Hugh Ryan @hughryan.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
It's a great way to see the city AND get off my phone at the same time. Any favorite or surprising walks?
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