The Forbidden Apple: A Century of Sex & Sin in New York City

“Kat Long's The Forbidden Appleis a fast-paced and vivid overview documenting the conflicts between evangelical moralists and defenders of sexual expression, commercial and otherwise.  Anyone interested in New York City or sex will have to pick this up.”—Timothy Gilfoyle, author, City of Erosand A Pickpocket’s Tale

 “Kat Long has provided a fascinating overview of sex in New York City since the Civil War.  Everything you always wanted to know—and a lot you would never have suspected!”—Kevin Baker, author of Strivers Row, Paradise Alleyand Dreamland

 The Forbidden Apple: A Century of Sex & Sin in New York Cityreveals the endless battle between outlaw sex and moral righteousness that has been fought on the streets of America’s most licentious city.

Beginning with Gilded Age New York, where upper-class men of society routinely slummed with prostitutes and burlesque dancers—then wrote scathing condemnations of the “Lost Sisterhood” for the next day’s papers—and ending with Rudolph Guiliani’s crackdown on the city’s sexual life, The Forbidden Appledetails the major trends in New York’s sexual history. Includes the Victorian-era battles over prostitution, the women’s movement at the turn of the twentieth century, the hedonistic roaring twenties, the rise of Times Square as the city’s sexual epicenter in the 1940s and 1950s, the birth of the gay rights movement in the 1960s, the decadence and pornography of the 1970s, and the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s.

The first-ever comprehensive sexual history of New York City, The Forbidden Apple shows how many of this country’s most important sexual revolutions got their start in New York, and also demonstrates how the repressive forces of morality and decency have waged war against the forces of sexual liberation and freedom throughout the city’s history.

Kat Long is a journalist and author specializing in sexuality and the social history of New York. She was the chief writer of the annual best-selling guidebook Sexy New York City and is the former managing editor of GO NYC Magazine. Her work has been published in Playgirl, The Village Voice, BUST, and other media.

“Kat Long's The Forbidden Appleis a fast-paced and vivid overview documenting the conflicts between evangelical moralists and defenders of sexual expression, commercial and otherwise.  Anyone interested in New York City or sex will have to pick this up.”—Timothy Gilfoyle, author, City of Erosand A Pickpocket’s Tale

“Kat Long has provided a fascinating overview of sex in New York City since the Civil War.  Everything you always wanted to know—and a lot you would never have suspected!”—Kevin Baker, author of Strivers Row, Paradise Alleyand Dreamland

The Forbidden Apple: A Century of Sex & Sinin New York Cityreveals the endless battle between outlaw sex and moral righteousness that has been fought on the streets of America’s most licentious city.

Beginning with Gilded Age New York, where upper-class men of society routinely slummed with prostitutes and burlesque dancers—then wrote scathing condemnations of the “Lost Sisterhood” for the next day’s papers—and ending with Rudolph Guiliani’s crackdown on the city’s sexual life, The Forbidden Appledetails the major trends in New York’s sexual history, including the Victorian-era battles over prostitution; the women’s movement at the turn of the twentieth century; the hedonistic roaring twenties; the rise of Times Square as the city’s sexual epicenter in the 1940s and 1950s; the birth of the gay rights movement in the 1960s; the decadence and pornography of the 1970s, and the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s.

The first-ever comprehensive sexual history of New York City, The Forbidden Apple shows how many of this country’s most important sexual trends got their start in New York, and also demonstrates how the repressive forces of morality and decency have waged war against the forces of sexual liberation and freedom throughout the city’s history.

Kat Long is a journalist and author specializing in sexuality and the social history of New York. She was the chief writer of the annual best-selling guidebook Sexy New York City and is the former managing editor of GO Magazine. Her work has been published in Playgirl, The Village Voice, BUST, and other media.