This forgotten queer artifact was the key to old-school cruising

A new book explores the lost history of the vintage queer art of matchbook design.

Long before the queer community had apps like Grindr and Sniffies to facilitate low-key hookups, gay men were keeping track of eligible partners the analog way. In unmarked bars, under the glow of swag lamps and the constant smog of cigarette smoke, they traded numbers inside the covers of collectible matchbooks—the same matchbooks that doubled as a form of social lubricant as couples danced, swayed, and lit up into the wee hours of the night.