Exploring The World Of New York's Drag Queens

Kittle had forgotten how many pictures of the drag queens he had shot, and felt that he had unfinished business with the photos.

“Its really strong stuff, the drag queens that I was photographing were really amazing people," Kittle says. "They would manifest a kind of theatricality in the street, right in front of you and it was amazing.” 

Kittle began to again consider the book he had started almost 30 years ago. He got the idea to fund it through Kickstarter from his son, and set up a fund on June 22, which has accumulated over $13,000 to date. Kittle’s goal is to raise $18,500 by July 22.

“There’s an element of historical interest in that time-period in the West Village among guys who were dressed up as women. It was really a unique time for that. I think it’s important for people to remember what it once was like,” says Kittle, on the importance of his project.

Kittle says he believes he has an obligation to both the subjects he photographed and the era of the drag queens. And he  said he hopes his book will help others understand what New York City was like in the 1980s.

“Our attitude towards being a man has changed. And that’s why I think it’s important. It shows you a different world," Kittle says. "It’s not that long ago and it’s not that far away. It was New York in the 80s, it was a very different place.”

You can check out the project or become a backer on Kittle's Kickstarter.com page.