Christopher Park at Sheridan Square, a small public park geographically located at
the heart of the bohemian Greenwich Village neighborhood, is often presented as the
nexus of New York’s gay scene with the historical significance of the area
for the gay rights movement in America frequently cited. In a multi-method case
study of Christopher Park I draw on Henri Lefebvre’s theory on the
production of space and Judith Butler’s theory of performativity in order
to excavate the intersections between space and identity. Bringing these theories
together to analyze a specific place highlights the relationships amongst queer
theory, identity and material public spaces. Findings indicate that a polemic
production process characterizes Christopher Park. It is perceived as a space where
queer identities are accepted, yet, material manifestations of queer identity are
constrained by factors such as time, park users, placement of monuments, as well as
political and economic forces. Physical space and social actions echo one another in
a manner indicative of their mutual constitution and highlight the factors that
shape identity and matter/reality.
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