From Red Light to Rainbow

The Politics of Sex and Space in Philadelphia’s Urban Crises

Max Gaida

Examining how the sexual revolution coevolved with the urban crises in postwar Philadelphia, From Red Light to Rainbow argues that spatial disruptions created the conditions for queer communities to emerge and ultimately flourish, a process which culminated in the establishment of the Gayborhood. While the period from 1950 to 2000 is often cast as one of urban decline, this study highlights how crises also opened opportunities to reshape the spatial arrangement of sexuality in the city. Beginning at the nadir of queer life in America, the dissertation traces how segments of the community gradually staked spatial claims on central neighborhoods by asserting their respectability, cosmopolitanism, and, above all, their status as good neighbors. By placing queer communities at the heart of the city’s renaissance, From Red Light to Rainbow contributes to scholarship on queer urban history and the political economy of postwar American cities.