Butch African American women constructed their own forms of masculinity inside and outside of Blues performances which set the stage for future performers in drag. Women of the Harlem Renaissance like Gladys Bentley, a prominent Blues singer, regularly wore tuxedos and dressed in men's clothing while performing. Drag balls were social events that brought people together who were on the margins of society and they often had to meet in secret. White people were not excluded but did not typically participate. Harlem drag balls primarily had people of color. These shows featured extravagant performances of gays and lesbians impersonating the opposite sex and competing against one another in fashion shows. The first known drag balls in the United States were in Harlem in the 1920s, at the Rockland Palace.
Tuesday night gay bar fort lauderdale code#
This law or code was aimed at eliminating what it saw as perversion and disallowed men impersonating women in film, temporarily ending the era of male impersonation in film and theater. The impersonation of the opposite sex was popular in theater and film until 1933 when the Hollywood Motion Picture Production Code was passed. She had a low voice and shaved regularly her facial hair to cause it to form a stubble. In the Victorian period English actresses impersonated men in theater, and in America actresses like Anne Hindle also impersonated men in her performances. Since women were not allowed to participate in drama or theater, men impersonated women when acting on stage.
There have been independent examples of drag in England and China in the 1500s. Instances of drag have been recorded well before drag shows began.