Eve Adams

In the spring of 1891, Chawa Zloczewer was born into a Jewish family in Poland. She immigrated to the United States when she was 20 years old. On June 4, 1912, after a nine-day voyage, she disembarked in New York City. The English version of her Polish name was Ewa, but upon arrival in the US, she began using the name Eve because she believed it sounded more American. Several years later, she began using the last name Adams. Historian Jonathan Ned Katz believes that this new name she chose may have been a witty reference to the fact that she was a gender bending woman who loved women. Eve Adams was a play on Adam and Eve. 

By 1919, Eve began traveling around the United States selling anarchist, socialist, communist, and radical labor publications. Years later, Eve stated, “What a price I paid for my courage and perhaps foolishness!” Her politics drew the attention of the authorities, and eventually Eve was put on the Radical Activities Index of the US Bureau of Investigation, led by J. Edgar Hoover. Eve lived in Chicago from 1921 to 1923. While there, she co-managed a tearoom called The Grey Cottage with her partner, Ruth Norlander. The tearoom was known to be a safe haven for political leftists, authors, artists, and folks whose sexuality and gender existed beyond mainstream society’s norms.

In November 1923, Eve moved back to New York City, where she submitted a Declaration of Intention to become a United States citizen. In 1925, she opened a tearoom called Eve’s Hangout. She also wrote a book titled Lesbian Love, which told stories that she had heard or experienced during her travels. She changed the names of everyone in the book to protect them from social repercussions, and she only ever distributed a limited number of copies.

In 1926, Eve was arrested for publishing the book and charged with distributing obscenity and for allegedly attempting to have sex with the undercover policewoman who was sent to entrap her. She served 18 months in prison. After her release, the US government deported Eve back to Poland in December 1927. The Daily News newspaper reported that “The morals of this 35-year-old woman…were not what this country demands of a would-be citizen.”