William Dorsey Swann (1858-1925) was born enslaved in Hancock, Maryland. He is believed to be the first known person to self-identify as a “Queen of Drag.”
During the 1880s and 1890s, Swann organized a series of balls in Washington, D.C.
Attendees were formerly enslaved men and gathered to dance in their satin and silk dresses. Invitations were quietly made at places like the YMCA.
Swann was arrested numerous times, even requesting a pardon from then President Grover Cleveland. Swann was the first American on record to have pursued legal and political action to defend LGBTQ rights to gather.
