LOCATION
GLBT Historical Society Museum
4127 18th Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
ADMISSION
$10 admission; Free for GLBT Historical Society Members
In this reading and conversation, architectural historian and author Stathis G. Yeros presents Queering Urbanism: Insurgent Spaces in the Fight for Justice, a book that rethinks cities through the spatial histories of LGBTQ+ communities.
Drawing on archival research and community narratives, the book traces how queer people—often excluded from formal planning and policy—have reshaped urban life during the last fifty years by appropriating of everyday, generic spaces and building informal networks that inform collective resistance.
With case studies from San Francisco's and Oakland’s rich history of queer placemaking, the discussion will explore the evolution of the Women’s Building of the Bay Area, the impact of gentrification on LGBTQ communities of color and low-income residents, and ongoing struggles to preserve queer spaces as sites of radical possibility rather than commodified nostalgia. How have trans women of color, sex workers, queer youth, and other underrepresented groups created community in hostile urban environments? What can we learn from these histories of resistance as cities continue to change?
The evening will feature a reading from the book, followed by conversation about the past, present, and future of LGBTQ urban spaces and the communities that have fought to claim them.
PRESENTER
Stathis G. Yeros (he/him) is a historian of the built environment, designer, and Assistant Professor of Architecture at the University of New Mexico. His work reveals how struggles for social justice materialize in the spaces we inhabit and how those spaces, in turn, enable resistance and collective care. He is the author of Queering Urbanism: Insurgent Spaces in the Fight for Justice (University of California Press, 2024) and his work has appeared in numerous journals and edited collections. Yeros holds a Ph.D. in Architecture (History, Theory, and Society) and was a 2024-25 Mellon Fellow in Democracy and Landscape Studies at Dumbarton Oaks/Harvard University. His work has been supported by grants from the Mills Institute, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, and the Society of Architectural Historians. www.stathisgyeros.com.
Members Perks
Interested in becoming a member of the GLBT Historical Society? Members enjoy all sorts of perks, including free access to this event. Learn more.