The First Self-Proclaimed Drag Queen in History: The Story of William Dorsey Swann.

Reading time: 2 min — Spotted on Smithsonian Magazine

The extreme right multiplies anti-drag actions in the United States as in France. But where does this practice of men with feminine outfits and pronounced make-up come from? The Smithsonian Magazine tells the story of William Dorsey Swann, the very first –official– drag queen in history.

In the late 1880s, Swann, a former slave, began hosting private balls in Washington D.C. masked – they quickly caught the attention of the authorities.

Swann was born in 1858 in Washington County to two slave parents. After the end of the civil war, in 1865, his family became free and William was encouraged to work as soon as possible. He moves to Washington DC, becomes a janitor and sends money to his family.

At the time, queer networks were divided between white and black communities. However, the capital of the United States was indeed an exception: the drag scenes attracted a mixed audience. “Lafayette Square in DC, adjacent to the White House, was a cruising spot for gay men, black or white,” says a historic preservation report from the city.

Bals masqués secrets and activism

Swann gradually carves out a place for herself in the city’s queer black community. According to journalist and historian Gerard Joseph, he throws parties considered to be the first documented “drag balls” in American history. Held in secret, they provide a safe space for gender expression, even if it is risky to attend. “A large number – but unknown – managed to flee during police raids. But the names of those arrested were published in the newspapers, where the men became targets of public scorn,” wrote joseph for Nation in 2020.

In the Swann parties, the guests put on women’s clothes or men’s costumes, while dancing to folk music. At the same time, he was fascinated by the “queens of freedom”, crowned during the parade of emancipation from DC Historically, each neighborhood was represented by a woman who personified the freedom of black people.

Swann decided to borrow this tradition for his underground parties, where he presented the award for “the prom queen” in dance competitions. “There’s the concept of drag, which is individual, and the concept of freedom queens. And in DC, in this post-slavery and post-Reconstruction era, these two concepts come together, explains Joseph. Identifying himself as a drag queen, what William Swann did, was to combine these two cultural traditions.

In 1880, the country was overwhelmed by a wave of laws explicitly banning cross-dressing. At the end of 1895, the authorities arrested Swann for having “kept a messy house” –a euphemism for a brothel.

Sentenced to 300 days in prison, Swann tried to pass a petition to have his rights recognized. Although the president cleveland rejected her, her attempt remains the first documented example of American activism to defend the right of the queer community to gather without the threat of criminalization or repression.