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Cookie WoolnerProfile Photo

Cookie Woolner

Cookie Woolner is a cultural historian of race, gender, and sexuality in the modern U.S. She is an Associate Professor in the History department at the University of Memphis. Her book, “The Famous Lady Lovers:” African American Women and Same-Sex Desire Before Stonewall from UNC Press, explores the lives of of Black women who loved women in the Interwar era.

Photo by: Lucy Garrett

Aug. 21, 2023

Gladys Bentley

One of the biggest stars in Prohibition Age New York was blues singer Gladys Bentley, who caused a stir in Harlem, wearing a top hat and tails, flirting with women in the audience, and singing raunchy lyrics. Despite Bentley…