“In the 1950s and 1960s it was illegal for biological males to wear female clothing in public. Moreover, trans folk ran the risk of arrest for both masquerading and solicitation, even if they weren’t hustling. Though it was terribly unsafe to dress in drag on most city streets, there were transgender-friendly zones in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. These zones naturally flourished where social tolerance for sexual differences was high and police interference with neighborhood life was lax or nonexistent. These edgy, eclectic spaces were dangerous, but they also fostered a sense of community among many of America’s dispossessed.”