The Voices That Shaped Gay America

A Review of the Lives of Individuals Who Shaped LGBTQIA+ Life in the United States

New York City’s Most Outspoken

Commentator: Fran Lebowitz
A Young Girl From Morristown

Throughout her 1950s childhood, Fran Lebowitz would gaze at the sky in her small hometown, and
all she could think was “I’ve got to get out of here.” Luckily, by 18, Lebowitz moved to a much more
bustling setting: New York City. Deeply affected by the work of James Baldwin and genuinely bored with
what other careers had to offer, Lebowitz became a freelance writer. However, Fran’s move to New York
City was not completely driven by a search for writing work. A gay woman living on the East Coast, Fran
Lebowitz saw New York as a haven for the American homosexual.

A Journalist Through and Through

After supporting herself for years with side jobs, Lebowitz found success in editorial journalism and
social commentary. Hired by Andy Warhol, Lebowitz scored a column in Interview Magazine lasting
throughout the mid-1970s. By 1981, Lebowitz published two essay collections that earned her local
celebrity and a reputation as a sharp social commentator. While pursuing her career, Lebowitz became
deeply involved in the Bohemian art scene of New York, a space dominated by the queer community.
Lebowitz was enjoying her career and a New York City energized by the free-flowing spirit of the 1970s.
Little did Fran know that the devastation of an epidemic in the coming decade would forever change her
experiences, writing, and life trajectory.

Beginning In Activism

The AIDS epidemic of the 1980s swept a fatal wave across New York City, and with it took a number
of queer creative geniuses. Several of Fran Lebowitz’s greatest friends, some of the most renowned artists
and authors of New York City, died of AIDS. Lebowitz found no other solace than her writing. In her
New York Times article “The Impact of AIDS on the Artistic Community,” Lebowitz laments over the
loss of some of New York’s greatest gay talent and scolds the lack of action from the city. By the early
1990s, Lebowitz established herself as a serious commentary journalist whose work critiqued both the
mundane and grave in life.
The Business of Being Fran

Nearing the early 2000s, Lebowitz discovered a new opportunity in the “business of being.”
Appearing on talk shows and public speaking events, Fran Lebowitz made a new name for herself as a
personality. From her bookings, Lebowitz’s witty opining became available to a much broader audience.
Catching the attention of director Martin Scorcese, Lebowitz’s analyses of society made their way to
screens big and small with the 2010 film Public Speaking and the 2021 limited series Pretend It’s a City,
documentaries on Lebowitz’s many opinions of her beloved city of New York.

How did Fran Lebowitz Shape Gay America?

Through her social commentary and pointed remarks, Fran Lebowitz created a new voice for the
average queer person. She exemplified that queer creativity shapes mainstream culture, even if not credited
for doing such. From gay writers like herself to the starving artists of a bygone New York City, Lebowitz
championed the queer creative. Never pulling back in her criticism of society, Lebowitz taught that not
only do queer people deserve an opinion but that homosexuals—a group on the social fringes—sometimes
have the most correct and accurate perceptions of societal issues. To the modern queer community, Fran
Lebowitz represents a normalization of creativity and complaint, even when queer work and perspective
are not welcome.