Drag, drag culture, drag queens.
We're all obsessed but do we actually know where drag came from?
Today we're going to be going
through the forgotten parts of drag herstory.
We're starting our history lesson in the 1800s with William Dorsey Swann,
the first-ever self-described drag queen.
He was a Black man born into slavery
in Maryland, around 1858 and went on to lead a queer resistance
and make drag history darling.
He truly walked so we could sashay,
no wonder his friends called him 'the queen.'
Now, let's leap to the 1930s where drag
was popping up in gay bars but it was a secret so shh.
At this time in the US, it was illegal for same-sex couples to dance together
But did that stop them?
Spoiler alert...
Of course, it didn't.
Instead, it encouraged one person to drag it up so to the unknowing eye
it was just a sensible heterosexual couple having a moment.
By the 1950s drag finally became entertainment.
Most iconically the Black Cat Cafe in San Francisco
staged the most revolutionary drag queens.
Introducing their headline act... Jose Julio Sarria
but you can call him Empress Jose I.
A former soldier in WW2, who lived openly as a gay man.
The 1960s is a huge turning point for LGBT+ rights.
But did you know that the Stonewall riots
couldn't have happened without our drag friends?
A few seconds appreciation for Stormé DeLarverie please...
Stormé was a butch, drag king and was understood to have thrown the first punch
at the Stonewall riots and sparked the uprising.
We must also celebrate the legendary Black and Latinx duo,
Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson who were pioneers of the LGBT+ rights movement.
The pair would likely identify as trans women today
but identified fiercely as drag queens in the 60s and 70s.
Now, we're taking you to the 1970s, where drag made its way into the mainstream baby.
Yep, society was served some drag goodness
and guess what?
They loved it.
Starting in 1972, when John Waters cast drag legend
Divine for his film Pink Flamingos.
Then in 1978, Sylvester released the disco anthem 'You make me feel',
in drag to an international audience.
You make me feel, mighty real.
Bet the drag community felt mighty proud.
By the 1980s, drag had taken on a new life at the New York ballroom scene,
a safe space for queer youth of colour to express themselves.
At these balls predominantly queer people of colour would perform
categories with the hope of snatching those trophies.
Importantly, this was also the era of houses
where drag mothers would adopt children who had been abandoned by their families
by providing them with a community but also helping them compete.
Voguing can be traced back to these very balls.
Vogue.
Yep, hate to break it to you but Madonna actually took it from the New York drag scene.
Not only did madonna's hit single, 'Vogue'
draw attention to this era but also Jennie Livingston's
controversial documentary Paris is Burning.
This famous documentary followed three iconic houses,
LaBeija, Xtravaganza and Ninja
and gave the rest of the world a taste for drag.
The popularity of 'Vogue' and Paris is Burning
was evidence that the mainstream had a taste for all things drag.
Whilst all this was happening underground,
a certain RuPaul was working
the new york clubs with his
gender bender style performances.
In 1993, RuPaul became a drag superstar
and a household name after releasing his hit single
Supermodel (You Better Work).
Jumping to 2009
and drag is welcomed into all of our homes with the release of RuPaul's Drag Race.
150 episodes later
and it's fair to say that RuPaul's Drag Race has made herstory.
Showcasing iconic drag queens,
like Shangela, who even went on to perform in A Star is Born
alongside Lady Gaga.
It's clear that drag is ever-evolving
and will continue to challenge people's beliefs on what makes womanhood,
manhood and everything marvellous in between.
But for now, it's time to sashay away.