With Pride Month in full swing and coming to an end soon, I often wonder where we would be without drag queens in the LGBTQ Community, a centuries old art and one that has become a preferred target in the current culture warfare. I'd be remiss if I didn't share what queens and performers have put this art form on the map. From a formerly enslaved person, to drag kings, to the political and outspoken to the queens of Drag Race. Here is Part 2 of this post series. Part 1 can be seen here. Long live the talent, variety and legacy of drag queens everywhere.
Charles Pierce was one of the most famous drag queens and female impersonators of the latter 20th century, having achieved a level of renown and recognition and adored by the general public that only a handful of drag performers ever managed before Divine or RuPaul came along. Of course he did go on to a legendary career, and the first to make an art of impersonating the famous, including Bette Davis, Swanson, Crawford, Hepburn, Channing and Mae West, which were biting, hilarious and always on point and witty.
Although, she predated the modern usage of the term "drag" Princess Seraphina is widely regarded as the first English drag queen. The female persona of 18th century Englishman John Cooper, Princess Serphina dared to roam the streets of London when homosexuality was a capital offense. She was reportedly as familiar to her neighbors as she was to the regulars of the underground bars and clubs known as molly houses, which hosted a thriving gay subculture.
It wasn't till out of the army and living in Portland, Oregan in the late 60's, that Walter Willard better known as Darcelle XV, came out and became a drag queen. Always entrepreneurial, Darcelle opened her own showplace, which went on to be the longest running drag show on the west coast, where Darcelle was present for just about every night. Darcelle's Showplace was even added to the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in the LGBT history. She was also noted for raising millions for the LGBT and its numerous charities and causes. While Darcelle is no longer with us, she performed well into her early 90's and was crowned the world's longest and oldest working drag performer.
Gladys Bentley was a singer, piano player and entertainer who performed in the 1920 and 30's in the era that came to be known as the Harlem Renaissance. Bently was known for her top hat, tailored white suits, and risqué lyrics. During her heyday, she did not conceal her sexuality, but celebrated it, flirting with women in the crowd, and appeared in full male drag in performances. She became one of the best-known Black entertainers of the time, and later moved from Harlem to San Fracisco, where she owned and performed at Mona's 440 Clun, the first lesbian bar in the city.
If Dolly Parton, Lady Bunny and Twiggy had a baby Trixie Mattel would be it. Since winning a season of Drag Race All Stars, Trixie has cemented herself in the drag Hall of Fame. With exception to RuPaul, Trixie is another queen who has gone full throttle in business, in drag, with Pod Casts with fellow queen Katya, co-hosting Queens of the Universe, performing and touring with her music, writing a bestseller, dj-ing, releasing a make-up line and opening a very popular motel, Trixie Motel which has blown up.
William Dorsey Swann, who was born into slavery, went on to make history as the first self-identified drag queen and the first American activist to lead a queer resistance group. Swann was charged for running a brothel, but what he was actually running at the time were drag balls. Swann had been arrested for female impersonation many times, and would get quickly convicted and sentenced, once for 10 months. Swann requested a pardon from President Grover Cleveland, and , while the request was denied, it was reportedly the first time an American used legal and political action to fight for the right of LGBT people to gather.
Storme DeLarverie was present and part of the Stonewall uprising, and was considered a protector of New York's LGBTQ community, working security and watching over Greenwich Village's gay bars and streets, right up till her death in 2014. In the 1950s Storme presided over the legendary Jewel Bow Revue- the era's only racially integrated drag troupe, as the mistress of ceremonies and the lone male impersonator. Her disregard for gender norms and lifelong activism also inspired many a documentaries
Dame Edna Everage, the drag persona of the late Australian comedian Barry Humphries, was best known for her lilac bouffant and bedazzled cart eyeglasses, her love of gladiolas, and of course her signature loud voice. The bawdy, bourgeois housewife came to prominence in the late 1960s UK and went on to become a regular fixture on stages and tv for decades later to come. Dame Edna also went on the become the longest running character for one person to do in an act.
Even though Dorien Corey's mummy showed up years later, and I mean a literal mummy, that had been found in her closet, after her death from AIDS, was found, an abusive lover, she shot and killed and kept hidden for 25 years in a box in her closet...she still gets a place in drag history. Dorien was one of the great Harlem Ball Queens and the Mother of the House of Corey and was famous for taking in strays and homeless and giving them roofs over their heads and placing them in the various "houses.". Dorian's ballroom talent and reputation earned her spots in the Queen and Paris is Burning, she was ball room.
Brazilian drag queen Pabllo Vittar did not become famous by accident. After posting dozens of videos on You Tube and singing at clubs and bars for several years, and not getting noticed, she got her break when she sung Whitney's Houston's I Have Nothing, and it went viral, after singing it on local television, hitting the high notes with apparent ease. Since then, she has collaborated with Fergie, Diplo and Charlie XCX, and in 2018, she became the first drag queen to be nominated for a Latin Grammy ( or any Grammy for that matter). She boasts more the 15 million followers on Instagram, more than any other drag queen, including RuPaul. She shows no sign of stopping.
Happy Gay Pride🏳🌈
