Jay London Toole Oral History

Jay Toole describes her experiences of queer homelessness in New York City. Born in the South Bronx, she became homeless as a child due to the circumstances of her family and identity as a stone butch. She describes her chosen queer family in Washington Square Park in the 1960-70s and their means of survival. She recalls stealing a NYC Taxi Cab and driving it to Texas, which led to her 18 month stay in a Texas jail. Later, she reflects on her experiences in the New York City shelter system which led her to form the organization Queers for Economic Justice. (Photo credit: Syd London; Summary by Micah Katz.)

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View At: https://nyctransoralhistory.org/interview/003-interview-of-jay-london-toole/
Citation: Cite

Item Information:

Identifier: k3569456c
Collection: Audio and Video Clips and Transcripts
Institution: NYC Trans Oral History Project
Creator(s): Toole, Jay London
Kerr, Ted
Contributor(s): London, Syd
Katz, Micah
Publisher: New York Public Library
Date Created: Jun. 15, 2016
Dates Covered: circa 1950 to 2017
Genre: Oral Histories
Subject(s): Jay London Toole
Places: New York
Texas
Topic(s): Appearance
Arrests
Butches
Childhood
Coming out
Criminalization
Crisis centres
Families
Gender diversity
Gender identity
Genderfluid identity
Homeless people
Homelessness
Imprisonment
LGBTI community
Passing (Gender)
Police
Prostitution
Sexual child abuse
Soft butches
Stigmatisation
Substance use in LGBTQ+ communities
Resource Type: Audio
Digital Format: Duration: 1 hour 9 minutes 29 seconds
Language: English
Rights: Copyright undetermined
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