The Cuban Witch: Drag

Showing posts with label Drag. Show all posts

Thursday, June 15, 2023

Gay History: Divine

An indomitable icon of queer culture, Harris Glenn Milstead (1945 – 1988), better known by his stage name, Divine, was a trailblazing performer whose alter ego was rude, raunchy and outrageous: a joyously self-determined, deeply liberating figure.

One of the most recognizable and celebrated counterculture artists, Divine performed mainly female roles in numerous films, most notably those of John Waters including Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, Polyester and Hairspray. An irreverent symbol of brash, bold wit and in-your-face humor, Divine was also a nightlife fixture and commanded the stage in theatrical productions such as The Neon Woman.

Divine also had a successful music career with international hit singles like "You Think You're A Man", "I'm So Beautiful" and "Walk Like A Man", all of which were performed as his female drag persona. He is widely viewed as a hero in both gay and punk culture, as well as one of the most significant drag performers of all time, People magazine described Divine as the "Drag Queen of the Century".

( ~ divineofficial.com)

Thursday, June 8, 2023

Gay History: William Dorsey Swann

William Dorsey Swann (1860 – 1925) was an American LGBTQ activist in a time where leadership in the movement was uncommon. An African-American born into slavery, Swann was the first person in the United States to lead a queer resistance group and the first known person to self-identify as a "queen of drag".

During the 1880s and 1890s, Swann organized a series of drag balls in Washington, D.C. Most of the attendees of Swann's gatherings were men who were formerly enslaved who gathered to dance in their satin and silk dresses. This group was known as the "House of Swann". Swann participated in dances such as the cakewalk, a dance performed by enslaved people in America, mimicking the mannerisms of plantation owners. The cakewalk’s improvisational movements and subtle expressions of communication resemble voguing, the style later popularized in Harlem’s ball scene.

Swann was arrested in police raids numerous times, including the first documented case of an arrest for female impersonation in the United States, on April 12, 1888. This event was Swann's thirtieth birthday celebration. According to The Washington Post, he was "arrayed in a gorgeous dress of cream-colored satin". After the celebration was raided by police, Swann was "bursting with rage", as he stood up to one of the arresting officers and declared "you is no gentleman".

Swann's choice to resist that night rather than to submit passively to his arrest marks one of the earliest-known instances of resistance in the name of gay rights. The arrests made at Swann's parties were published in local newspapers, so townsfolk risked their reputation by attending. However, acts of public shaming like this one are the only reason we now know who Swann was.

In 1896, he was convicted of "keeping a disorderly house", a euphemism for running a brothel, and was sentenced to 10 months in jail. After his sentencing, he requested a pardon from President Grover Cleveland. This request was denied, but Swann was the first American on record who pursued legal and political action to defend the LGBTQ community's right to gather.

(~ Wikipedia)

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Gay History: Paris Is Burning (film)

Paris Is Burning is a 1990 documentary film directed by Jennie Livingston. Filmed in the mid-to-late 1980s, it chronicles the ball culture of New York City and the African-American, Latino, gay, and transgender communities involved in it. Critics consider the film to be an invaluable documentary of the end of the "Golden Age" of New York City drag balls, and a thoughtful exploration of race, class, gender, and sexuality in America. Most of the film alternates between footage of balls and interviews with prominent members of the scene, including Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, Angie Xtravaganza, and Willi Ninja.

In 2016, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The title takes its name from the Paris Is Burning ball held annually by artist Paris Dupree who appears in the film.

The film also explores how its subjects deal with issues such as AIDS, racism, poverty, violence and homophobia. Several of whom had been disowned by transphobic and homophobic parents, leaving them vulnerable to homelessness. Others, such as Venus Xtravaganza, had become sex workers in order to support themselves.

Near the end of the film, Venus is found strangled under a bed at the Duchess Hotel in New York. Her killer was never found. More than 30 years after the debut of the film Paris Is Burning, Jersey City made the home where she lived with her grandmother and filmed most of her interviews for Paris Is Burning a historic landmark in an “intentional effort” to preserve the city’s LGBTQ+ history.

( ~ Wikipedia)