Lee Brewster (1943-2000)
Lee Brewster was a founding member of the Queens Liberation Front, created to address the needs of transgender and non-binary communities.
After noticing there were conservative members of the LGBTQ+ community opposed to, in their terminology, “cross-dressing,” Brewster decided to open a clothing store for “drag queens, gender variant people, and others.” He opened a brick-and-mortar store in New York City called the Mardi Gras Boutique which remained open during the 1970s until his death in 2000.
Out My Closet
Michael A. Narain founded Out My Closet (OMC) in 2013 to assist and empower displaced and vulnerable LGBTQ+ youth. OMC creates a shopping-like experience for youth to select new or lightly worn stylish clothes free of charge. OMC has donated thousands of clothes since their opening and expanded their services to provide counseling and safe spaces for New York City youth.