Becky Hawkins

Book 1, Page 198

Added 2024-11-16 00:36:56 +0000 UTC

Just as we started the beach episode of SuperButch, the podcast 99% Invisible did an episode about an unofficial gay beach in New York: Jacob Riis beach! That beach was overshadowed—or sheltered from the neighboring area, depending on your point of view—by an old brick hospital building.

It was a gathering place for generations of queer New Yorkers. I recommend that 99% Invisible episode to hear about a few people’s personal connections with Riis Beach.

A friend actually took Naomi and me to that beach in 2018. I hadn’t heard of it before. We met up at a friend-of-friend’s apartment, rode our bikes across Brooklyn, stopped at a bakery to pick up goodies, and spent a sunny Tuesday afternoon on the beach.

I can’t believe I don’t have a group photo or a beach photo from that day. We were REALLY focused on pastries, swimming, and sunshine!

The hospital, I learned, has since been torn down by the city, so I feel really lucky to have had such a classic queer experience with that historical locale.

I’m still applying for part-time jobs, but I’ll do my best to keep on a weekly SuperButch schedule! I’m writing this from Refuge cafe where Barry and I discussed an upcoming page layout. Having 2-3 pages in progress at a time really worked over the summer, so that’s the plan going forward.

Thanks, as always, for supporting me through doodles, watercolors, and multi-year passion projects!