LGBTQ+ clubs
Alisha Day
Alisha Day is a Fabulous Drag performer born in Newark, NJ. She is an essential worker by day, working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. By night she is a fabulous drag queen. Alisha is known for her high energy performances and fabulous hosting. She performs all throughout the tri-state area. Alisha Day is host and co-producer of Brick City Drag with her business partner Dr. Kareem Willis. This brunch experiences allows Alisha to use the powers of drag to create space for LGBTQ+ individuals, especially queer black and brown individuals in the greater Newark...Leslie Oliver
Rev. Leslie Oliver hails from 4 generations of preachers and worship leaders. Born in Newark, N.J., she holds a B.A. in English from Rutgers University, an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Full Sail University. and a M.Div in Pastoral Care from Union Presbyterian Seminary. She joined the Unity Fellowship Church Movement in 1993 and became a deacon in 1997, and a Minister in 2002 at Liberation in Truth Unity Fellowship Church, under the leadership of Pastor Jacquelyn Holland. She relocated to Charlotte in 2004, and served as Minister of Praise Arts at Unity Fellowship Church Charlotte under the...Erica Harrison
My name is Erica D.Harrison aka Ricky aka Ms.Erica. I was born and raised in Harlem New York.I will always cherish the sweet memories of going to the famous Apollo Theater as a child. I would see every artist from James Brown to the complete Motown Review...all for $.90! I always had an interest in the arts such as music, painting, dancing, singing, poetry and all things creative.My parents were from the South and they divorced when I was a toddler. I was raised by my mother but my father was always in my life. My mom was a Southern Belle with City Swag. She exposed me to the...
Donald Ransom
Since arriving in Newark in the early 1980s, Rev. Don Ransom has worked in the fields of substance abuse and recovery, as well as HIV prevention and education. A central figure in Newark AIDS activism, he was involved with James Credle and others in the pioneering Fire Ball programs of the early 1990s, a member of the city’s first HIV planning council, and remains active with NJCRI and other organizations. As well, he serves as senior reverend at the Unity Fellowship Church NewArk.In his oral history interviews, Rev. Ransom talks about queer Newark nightlife, AIDS activism, his...
Beatrice Simpkins
Beatrice Dolores Simpkins is an alum of Rutgers University-Newark.In 2016, Ms. Simpkins became a Rutgers University 250 Fellow – receiving a medal at the “A Day of Revolutionary Thinking”, the culminating event of Rutgers’ 250Th birthday celebration.
She serves as the pro-bono Executive Director of the Newark LGBTQ Community Center and is the Chief Program Officer for The Partnership for the Homeless, located in New York City. In 2021, Ms. Simpkins received the Equality Leadership Award from Garden State Equality and the LGBTQ-Police Community Partnership Award...
Darryl Rochester
After graduating from Weequahic High School in 1971, Darryl Wayne Rochester (March 27, 1953-December 8, 2020) studied dance under the tutelage of Kay Thompson Payne, co-owner of the then well-known Thompson Dance Studio of Newark. He became one of her star pupils. One evening Kay invited Darryl to accompany her to her dance class at the Dance Theater of Harlem in New York. The experience was very intimidating and he left there feeling somewhat inadequate and less confident in his ability as a dancer. Darryl had an urgent feeling to obtain additional training in dance from a highly...
Juliana Moraes
Bio forthcoming.Tiney Pringle
Tiney Pringle was born and raised in Newark. In her oral history, she discusses growing up butch in the city, including touring with a basketball team of all self-identified butch players in and around the tri-state area. She also speaks about her experiences in the club scene in the 1980s, as well as friendships and relationships in Newark, such as that with fellow narrator Carol Glassman. Tiney is an artist who works with paint and ceramics, and an athlete who has participated in softball, basketball, and football leagues.Click on photo to view image gallery
Walter Newkirk
Walter Newkirk owns Walter Newkirk Public Relations LLC. A graduate of Rutgers University in New Brunswick NJ, Mr. Newkirk was the first openly gay Arts Editor of The Rutgers Daily Targum, the daily newspaper on the New Brunswick campus from 1975-1976. As a college journalist he interviewed Pat Loud of the landmark PBS TV series An American Family, and the actor Divine for The Rutgers Targum.Mr. Newkirk was the Project Director of the film lecture series The Changing Stereotypes of Women Black and Gays in The Cinema, sponsored by Rutgers University and The New Jersey Committee...
Eyricka Morgan
Eyricka Morgan (1987-2013) was one of the amazing speakers on the "Queer Newarkers: The 21st Century Generation" panel of Queer Newark's first conference, Queer Newark: Our Voices, Our Stories in November of 2011. Tragically, Eyricka was murdered before the QNOHP was able to record her full oral history. Because we want to preserve her voice and story as best we can, we have edited together her comments from the conference as a stand-alone page.Related:
Eyricka Morgan, Transgender Woman, Allegedly Murdered In New Jersey New Jersey Paper Refuses to Correct...