The en dehors garde remembers the moments, places, and things that happen outside the academic that spark the hearts of communities. It goes beyond the traditional structures of scholarly production to include the stories and conflicts that happened on the streets. It recognizes those conflicts never end.
Lee Brewster was a gay drag queen who successfully fought to have laws against public crossdressing in New York City overturned in the 1970s. He organized popular drag balls, started the Queens Liberation Front, published Drag magazine, and owned and operated the Mardi Gras boutique—one of the few places in the 1970s where gay and straight crossdressers could discreetly shop for women’s fashions sized and styled for them.