The First Self-Proclaimed Drag Queen Was a Formerly Enslaved …
Jun 9, 2023 · In the late 1880s, a formerly enslaved man named William Dorsey Swann started hosting private balls known as drags, a name possibly derived from “ grand rag,” an antiquated term for...
William Dorsey Swann - Wikipedia
Swann is known as the first drag queen. As a black gay man, Swann paved the way for future drag queens and gay men of color. His legal efforts sparked a conversation about the LGBTQ+ community and may have even been one of the first instances of LGBTQ+ activism in …
The First Drag Queen: Who Was The First Person To Use
Jun 22, 2021 · William Dorsey Swann, a formerly enslaved African-American, is the earliest-documented person to describe themselves as a ‘queen’ of a ‘drag’ – or ‘drag queen’. In 19th-century Washington DC, Swann began hosting cross-dressing events that he and his male guests referred to as ‘drags’.
The History Of Drag Queens And The Evolution Of Drag - All …
Dec 15, 2018 · It was through vaudeville that the first official well-known drag queen came to exist, named Julian Eltinge. His popularity moved beyond vaudeville and his success earned him the title of being the highest paid actor in the world — …
The First Drag Queen Was a Former Slave
Jan 31, 2020 · In 1896, after being convicted and sentenced to 10 months in jail on the false charge of “keeping a disorderly house”—a euphemism for running a brothel—Swann demanded (and was denied) a pardon...
Drag queen - Wikipedia
The first person known to describe himself as "the queen of drag" was William Dorsey Swann, born enslaved in Hancock, Maryland, who in the 1880s started hosting drag balls in Washington, DC attended by other men who were formerly enslaved.
9 Drag Queens Who Made History
Jun 26, 2024 · In 1992, Joan Jett Blakk became the first drag queen to run for president of the United States. Though she entered the race on the Queer Nation Party ticket, Blakk made a memorable appearance...
William Dorsey Swann: The first "Queen of Drag" - PBS
William Dorsey Swann was born into servitude and grew up to become one of the first American activists to spearhead a queer resistance group. He was also the first person known to refer to...
William Dorsey Swann: From slavery to queer freedom in 1880s as …
Apr 8, 2024 · Born into slavery, William Dorsey Swann became the first American to lead a queer resistance group, first to self-identify as a “queen of drag,” and first to use the U.S. legal system to defend the queer community.
How William Dorsey Swann Became America's First Drag Queen
Feb 9, 2022 · Newly liberated and gay, Swann used his freedom to lead a queer resistance group — and become the first drag queen in America. Swann not only became the first person in the United States to self-identify as a “queen of drag,” but …