Editing Drag queen (section)

== History of drag==
=== Canada ===
In the 1940s [[John Herbert (playwright)|John Herbert]], who sometimes competed in drag pageants, was the victim of an attempted robbery while he was dressed as a woman.<ref name="theatre">[http://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=John%20Herbert John Herbert] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220507080727/https://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=John%20Herbert |date=7 May 2022 }} at the Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia.</ref>{{refn|group=nb|One source asserts that the attack occurred in 1947,<ref name="theatre" /> another is vague on the timing,<ref name="BodyPolitic" /> and ''The New York Times'' obituary of Herbert asserts that it occurred during Herbert's teens.<ref name=nyt>[https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/27/theater/john-herbert-dies-at-75-wrote-of-prison-life.html "John Herbert Dies at 75; Wrote of Prison Life"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221124123526/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/27/theater/john-herbert-dies-at-75-wrote-of-prison-life.html |date=24 November 2022 }}. ''[[The New York Times]]'', 27 June 2001.</ref> The cause of the confusion may be the conflation of this arrest with Herbert's subsequent arrest for gross indecency. He served another sentence for indecency at reformatory in Mimico in 1948.<ref name="theatre" />}} His assailants falsely claimed that Herbert had solicited them for sex,<ref name="theatre" /> and Herbert was accused and convicted of indecency<ref name="theatre" /> under Canada's [[LGBT rights in Canada|same-sex sexual activity law]] (which was not repealed until 1969).<ref>{{Cite web | author=Canadian Heritage |date=2017-10-23 |title=Rights of LGBTI persons |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/rights-lgbti-persons.html |access-date=2022-03-15 |website=www.canada.ca |archive-date=5 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105205012/https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/rights-lgbti-persons.html |url-status=live }}</ref> After being convicted, Herbert served time in a youth [[reformatory]] in [[Guelph|Guelph, Ontario]].<ref name="BodyPolitic">{{cite journal|title="That Man's Scope" John Herbert Now|journal=The Body Politic|date=1973|volume=10|pages=12–13, 25|url=https://archive.org/stream/bodypolitic10toro#page/12/mode/2up|access-date=2 August 2016}}</ref><ref name="Dickinson">{{cite journal|last1=Dickinson|first1=Peter|title=Critically Queenie: The Lessons of ''Fortune and Men's Eyes''|journal=Canadian Journal of Film Studies|date=2002|volume=11|issue=2|pages=19–43|doi=10.3138/cjfs.11.2.19|url=http://www.filmstudies.ca/journal/pdf/cj-film-studies112_Dickinson_queenie.pdf|access-date=10 August 2016|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221636/http://www.filmstudies.ca/journal/pdf/cj-film-studies112_Dickinson_queenie.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="litenc" />{{refn|group=nb|One source states that Herbert was imprisoned for six months at Guelph,<ref name="BodyPolitic" /> while another states that he spent four months there.<ref name="theatre" />}} Herbert later served another sentence for indecency at reformatory in [[Mimico]].<ref name="theatre" /> Herbert wrote ''[[Fortune and Men's Eyes]]'' in 1964 based on his time behind bars.<ref name="litenc">[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5246 John Herbert] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207192514/https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5246 |date=7 December 2018 }} at [[The Literary Encyclopedia (English)|The Literary Encyclopedia]].</ref> He included the character of Queenie as an authorial [[self-insertion]].<ref name="theatre" />{{Citation needed|date=June 2023|reason=source does not make the connection that it is in fact a self-insert (even though that would be extremely obvious reading)}}

In 1973 the first Canadian play about and starring a drag queen, ''[[Hosanna (play)|Hosanna]]'' by [[Michel Tremblay]], was performed at [[Théâtre de Quat'Sous]] in [[Montreal]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tremblay |first1=Michel |translator-last1=Van Burek |translator-first1=John |translator-last2=Glassco |translator-first2=Bill |year=1991 |orig-year=1973 |title=Hosanna |location=Vancouver, BC |publisher=Leméac Éditeur}}</ref>
 	
In 1977 the Canadian film ''[[Outrageous!]]'', starring drag queen [[Craig Russell (Canadian actor)|Craig Russell]], became one of the first gay-themed films to break out into mainstream theatrical release.

=== India ===
[[File:Alex Mathew & Maya the drag queen.jpg|thumb|Alex Mathew (left) beside his drag persona [[Maya the Drag Queen]] (right)]]
In September 2018, the [[Supreme Court of India]] ruled that the application of [[Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code]] to consensual homosexual sex between adults was unconstitutional, "irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/sc-decriminalises-homosexuality/article24887363.ece|title=SC decriminalises homosexuality|first=Krishnadas|last=Rajagopal|date=7 September 2018|via=www.thehindu.com|newspaper=The Hindu|access-date=27 March 2020|archive-date=30 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730035426/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/sc-decriminalises-homosexuality/article24887363.ece|url-status=live}}</ref> Since then, drag culture in India has been growing and becoming the mainstream art culture. The hotel chain of Lalit Groups spaced a franchise of clubs where drag performances are hosted in major cities of India such as [[Mumbai]], [[Delhi]], and [[Bangalore]].

[[Maya the Drag Queen]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thebetterindia.com/81870/alex-mathew-drag-queen-india-bengaluru-lgbt-rights/ |title=The Amazing Journey of This Indian Drag Queen is Both Heart Breaking and Inspiring |date=12 January 2017 |access-date=4 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204151636/https://www.thebetterindia.com/81870/alex-mathew-drag-queen-india-bengaluru-lgbt-rights/ |archive-date=4 December 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> Rani Kohinoor ([[Sushant Divgikar]]),<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/drag-is-part-of-our-culture-to-refute-it-is-to-refute-history-sushant-divgikar/story-9Gfu2P2GjRidL3yettnnGJ.html |title=Drag is part of our culture; to refute it is to refute history: Sushant Divgikar |date=29 December 2017 |access-date=4 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204150923/https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/drag-is-part-of-our-culture-to-refute-it-is-to-refute-history-sushant-divgikar/story-9Gfu2P2GjRidL3yettnnGJ.html |archive-date=4 December 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> Lush Monsoon,<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.vogue.in/culture-and-living/content/lush-monsoon-aishwarya-ayushmaan-indian-drag-queen-human-rights-lawyer-lgbtqi-delhi|title = Human rights lawyer Aishwarya Ayushmaan on how drag allows him to be his truest self|date = 21 September 2019|access-date = 6 January 2020|archive-date = 3 December 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201203042650/https://www.vogue.in/culture-and-living/content/lush-monsoon-aishwarya-ayushmaan-indian-drag-queen-human-rights-lawyer-lgbtqi-delhi|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.vervemagazine.in/people/being-a-drag-queen-in-india-lush-monsoon |title=Being a Drag Queen in India: Lush Monsoon &#124; Verve Magazine |date=October 2018 |access-date=6 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001150100/http://www.vervemagazine.in/people/being-a-drag-queen-in-india-lush-monsoon |archive-date=1 October 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Betta Naan Stop]],<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.vogue.in/culture-and-living/content/betta-naan-stop-indian-drag-queen-interview|title = Meet Betta Naan Stop, the Indian drag queen with the best dance moves|date = 20 September 2019|access-date = 6 January 2020|archive-date = 25 December 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201225142833/https://www.vogue.in/culture-and-living/content/betta-naan-stop-indian-drag-queen-interview|url-status = live}}</ref> Tropical Marca,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://elle.in/article/drag-queens/ |title=5 fabulous drag queens spill their make-up secrets |date=18 December 2018 |access-date=4 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204151709/https://elle.in/article/drag-queens/ |archive-date=4 December 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> Zeeshan Ali,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://homegrown.co.in/article/801643/the-phenomenal-transformations-of-makeup-artist-zeeshan-ali |title=The Phenomenal Transformations of Makeup Artist Zeeshan Ali |access-date=4 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204150931/https://homegrown.co.in/article/801643/the-phenomenal-transformations-of-makeup-artist-zeeshan-ali |archive-date=4 December 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Patruni Sastry]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://telanganatoday.com/its-time-for-drag-shows-to-begin |title=It's TIME for 'Drag' shows to begin |access-date=4 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204150923/https://telanganatoday.com/its-time-for-drag-shows-to-begin |archive-date=4 December 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> are some examples of Indian drag artists. In 2018, [[Hyderabad]] had its first drag convention.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/drag-con-hyderabad-2019-patruni-sastry/article29798142.ece|title=Hyderabad to have its first-ever Drag Con|newspaper=The Hindu|date=25 October 2019|last1=Bhavani|first1=Divya Kala|access-date=6 May 2021|archive-date=11 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230411054521/https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/drag-con-hyderabad-2019-patruni-sastry/article29798142.ece|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2020, India's first drag specific magazine Dragvanti began publication.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2020/jun/30/for-all-things-drag-2163102.html|title=For all things drag | author=Simran Ahuja |date=30 June 2020 | publisher=[[The New Indian Express]] | access-date=6 May 2021|archive-date=10 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410150543/https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2020/jun/30/for-all-things-drag-2163102.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Lebanon===
Lebanon is the only country in the Arab world with an increasingly visible drag scene.<ref>{{cite news |title='I don't want to hide myself': The drag queen standing up to Lebanon's LGBTIQ+ crackdown |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/dateline/article/the-drag-queen-standing-up-to-lebanons-lgbtiq-crackdown/tptzwxs6v |access-date=30 January 2024 |issue=8 June 2023 |publisher=SBS News}}</ref> Drag culture has existed in Lebanon for several decades but gained popularity with the astronomical rise of [[Bassem Feghali]], who came to prominence in the 1990s, becoming a household name for his impersonation of Lebanese female singers.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Frakes |first1=Nicholas |title=It's off to the races in Lebanon, in drag |url=https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2019/09/the-unique-identity-of-lebanons-drag-scene.html |access-date=30 January 2024 |publisher=Al Monitor |date=30 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Meet the Pop Icons who Inspired Generations of Arab Queens |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/10/20/arts/arab-drag-pop-icons.html |access-date=30 January 2024 |date=20 October 2022 |last1=O'Neill |first1=Shane }}</ref> Due to the global success of [[Rupaul's Drag Race]], Beirut's drag scene has adopted various influences that blend American drag culture with local, unique cultural elements.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Louisa Loveluck, Ghalia al-Alwani |title=Beirut's fearless drag queens defy Middle Eastern conservatism |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/beiruts-fearless-drag-queens-belie-middle-eastern-conservatism/2019/01/26/2a7abcd4-ffb7-11e8-a17e-162b712e8fc2_story.html |access-date=30 January 2024 |agency=The Washington Post |date=28 January 2019}}</ref> The drag scene has grown so much that in 2019 ''Vogue'' magazine declared it a drag-aissance.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Satenstein |first1=Liana |title=Inside Beirut's Bright and Beautiful Drag-aissance |url=https://www.vogue.com/vogueworld/article/beirut-drag-queen-anya-kneez-latiza-bomba-zuhal-global-100 |access-date=30 January 2024 |publisher=Vogue |date=5 February 2019}}</ref>

=== Paraguay ===
[[Usha Didi Gunatita]] was a pioneer of drag art during the later years of the [[dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner]]. Many drag queens of later generations claim her as a reference, and base their characters on Usha's exaggerated characteristics in her performances.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |date=2024-10-10 |title=Usha: la pionera drag que tendió puentes entre el show y el activismo en Paraguay - Agencia Presentes |url=https://agenciapresentes.org/2020/05/20/usha-pionera-drag-que-tendio-puentes-entre-el-show-y-el-activismo-en-paraguay/ |access-date=2025-02-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241010200012/https://agenciapresentes.org/2020/05/20/usha-pionera-drag-que-tendio-puentes-entre-el-show-y-el-activismo-en-paraguay/ |archive-date=10 October 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ogdon |first=Gabriel |date=2022-02-16 |title=Drag Party este sábado en Casa Crei |url=https://elnacional.com.py/agenda-cultural/2022/02/16/drag-party-en-casa-crei/ |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=El Nacional |language=es}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite web |date=2023-04-18 |title=Larga vida a las reinas |url=https://culturablend.com/post/larga_vida_a_las_reinas |access-date=2025-02-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418215502/https://culturablend.com/post/larga_vida_a_las_reinas |archive-date=18 April 2023 }}</ref> She is also remembered as one of the first trans people who was featured on Paraguayan television without being censored.<ref name=":12" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-27 |title="Dragñua" busca reivindicar su manifestación artística - Cultura - ABC Color |url=https://www.abc.com.py/espectaculos/cultura/2023/06/27/dragnua-busca-reivindicar-su-manifestacion-artistica/ |access-date=2025-02-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627122117/https://www.abc.com.py/espectaculos/cultura/2023/06/27/dragnua-busca-reivindicar-su-manifestacion-artistica/ |archive-date=27 June 2023 }}</ref>

=== Philippines ===
Before being colonized by Spain in the mid-1500s, it was a national custom for men to dress in women's clothing.<ref name="auto7">{{Cite web |last=COMMONER |date=2021-06-30 |title=Beyond the Glitz and Glamour: How Philippine Drag Has Evolved throughout the Years |url=https://mediacommoner.medium.com/beyond-the-glitz-and-glamour-how-philippine-drag-has-evolved-throughout-the-years-6eb867d7d658 |access-date=2022-12-02 |website=Medium |language=en |archive-date=2 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202212644/https://mediacommoner.medium.com/beyond-the-glitz-and-glamour-how-philippine-drag-has-evolved-throughout-the-years-6eb867d7d658 |url-status=live }}</ref> However, when the Spaniards arrived, they not only outlawed homosexuality but executed men that appeared to be homosexual. Spain cast a culture of [[Machismo]] onto the Philippines, causing any kind of queerness and queer culture to be heavily suppressed.<ref name="auto7"/>

Nonetheless, in the early 1900s drag started to reappear in the media. Drag became a key element of national pantomime theatre and as time went on, drag queens appeared in other forms of theatre and in movies.<ref name="auto7"/>

=== South Africa ===
Drag in South Africa emerged in the 1950s in major cities such as [[Johannesburg]] and [[Cape Town]].<ref name="auto3">{{Cite web |title=Drag in South Africa: The Art of Expression |url=https://www.queermajority.com/essays-all/drag-in-south-africa-the-art-of-expression |access-date=2022-12-02 |website=Queer Majority |date=30 September 2020 |language=en-US |archive-date=2 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202212640/https://www.queermajority.com/essays-all/drag-in-south-africa-the-art-of-expression |url-status=live }}</ref> It started in the form of underground pageants which created a safe space for members of the LGBTQ+ community in [[Apartheid]] South Africa, where people could be punished by law for being gay.<ref name="auto3"/> Being gay was not legalized in South Africa until 1998, so pageants, such as the famous Miss Gay Western Cape, did not become official until the late 1990s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McCormick |first=T. L. |title=The history of drag in South Africa still plays out at modern pageants |url=http://theconversation.com/the-history-of-drag-in-south-africa-still-plays-out-at-modern-pageants-120838 |access-date=2022-12-02 |website=The Conversation |date=7 November 2019 |language=en |archive-date=2 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202212641/https://theconversation.com/the-history-of-drag-in-south-africa-still-plays-out-at-modern-pageants-120838 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Discrimination against drag is widespread in South Africa, and drag queens face the threat of violence by being openly gay. Furthermore, there is not language to explore queerness in [[Xhosa language|Xhosa]], one of the indigenous languages of South Africa.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Olwage |first1=Lee-Ann |last2=Ingber |first2=Sasha |date=2019-09-20 |title=PHOTOS: Drag Queens In South Africa Embrace Queerness And Tradition |language=en |work=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/09/20/761990035/photos-drag-queens-in-south-africa-embrace-queerness-and-tradition |access-date=2022-12-02 |archive-date=2 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202212639/https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/09/20/761990035/photos-drag-queens-in-south-africa-embrace-queerness-and-tradition |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Thailand ===
After homosexual acts were decriminalized in Thailand in 1956, gay clubs and other queer spaces began opening which lead to the first cabaret. However, drag in Thailand was actually heavily influenced by drag queens from the Philippines as the first drag show started after the owner of a gay club saw drag queens from the Philippines perform in [[Bangkok]].<ref name="auto8">{{Cite web |title=Thailand's Drag Shows: Testimony to Survival and Culture Redefined |url=https://www.thailandfoundation.or.th/culture_heritage/thailands-drag-shows-testimony-to-survival-and-culture-redefined/ |access-date=2022-12-02 |website=Thailand Foundation |language=en-US |archive-date=9 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230509035506/https://www.thailandfoundation.or.th/culture_heritage/thailands-drag-shows-testimony-to-survival-and-culture-redefined/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Therefore, drag shows started in Thailand in the mid-1970s and have become increasingly popular over time, especially in major cities like Bangkok.<ref name="auto8"/>

=== United Kingdom ===
In [[English Renaissance theatre|Renaissance England]], women were forbidden from performing on stage,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Globe Theatre Female Roles |url=http://www.globe-theatre.org.uk/globe-theatre-female-roles.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130406074442/http://www.globe-theatre.org.uk/globe-theatre-female-roles.htm |archive-date=2013-04-06 |access-date=2018-12-24}}</ref> so female roles were played by men or boys. The practice continued, as a tradition, when [[pantomime]]s became a popular form of entertainment in Europe during the late 1800s to the mid-1900s.<ref name=":2">Moore, F. Michael. ''Drag!: Male and Female Impersonators on Stage, Screen, and Television: An Illustrated World History''. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland & Company, 1994. {{ISBN|978-0899509969}} {{page needed|date=June 2020}}
</ref><ref name=":3" /> The dame became a [[stock character]] with a range of attitudes from "[[charwoman]]" to "[[grande dame]]" who was mainly used for improvisation.<ref name=":3" /> A notable, and highly successful, pantomime dame from this period was [[Dan Leno]].

Beyond theatre, in the 1800s, [[Molly house]]s became a place for gay men to meet, often dressed in drag.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web |title=A brief but glamorous history of drag |url=https://www.history.co.uk/articles/a-brief-but-glamorous-history-of-drag |access-date=2022-12-02 |website=Sky HISTORY TV channel |language=en |archive-date=15 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230515145054/https://www.history.co.uk/articles/a-brief-but-glamorous-history-of-drag |url-status=live }}</ref> Despite homosexuality being outlawed, men would dress in women's clothing and attend these taverns and coffee houses to congregate and meet other, mostly gay, men.<ref name="auto2"/>

By the mid-1900s, pantomime, and the use of pantomime dames, had declined,<ref name=":2" /> although it remains a popular [[Christmas]] tradition.<ref>Christopher, David (2002). "British Culture: An Introduction", p. 74, Routledge; and [https://www.economist.com/news/britain/21636788-understand-britishand-have-fungo-and-see-christmas-pantomime-its-behind-you "It's Behind You"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815101055/https://www.economist.com/news/britain/21636788-understand-britishand-have-fungo-and-see-christmas-pantomime-its-behind-you |date=15 August 2017 }}, ''The Economist'', 20 December 2014</ref> The role of the dame, however, evolved to become more about the individual performer. Many female impersonators built up their own fan bases, and began performing outside of their traditional pantomime roles.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The fabulous history of drag |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zbkmkmn |access-date=2023-12-27 |website=BBC |language=en}}</ref>

=== United States ===
====Origins====
{{main|Female impersonation#History of female impersonation#United States}}
Drag performance in the United States had its roots in the female impersonations of performers in [[minstrel shows]] of the 19th century, followed by female impersonators working in vaudeville, burlesque, and the legitimate theatre in the late 19th century and early 20th century.<ref>{{cite book|title=Historical Dictionary of Contemporary American Theater|page=331|first=James|last= Fisher|year= 2021|isbn=9781538123027|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield Publishers]]}}</ref>

The [[Pansy Craze]] was a period of increased LGBT visibility in American [[popular culture]] from the late-1920s until the mid-1930s;<ref name="pansy:0">{{Cite web |last=Imig |first=Nate |date=6 June 2022 |title=Tracing the roots of Wisconsin's drag history, dating back to the 1880s |url=https://radiomilwaukee.org/story/uniquely-milwaukee/tracing-the-roots-of-wisconsins-drag-history-dating-back-to-the-1880s/ |access-date=2022-10-27 |website=Radio Milwaukee |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":pansy1">{{Cite web |last=Bullock |first=Darryl W. |date=2017-09-14 |title=Pansy Craze: the wild 1930s drag parties that kickstarted gay nightlife |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/sep/14/pansy-craze-the-wild-1930s-drag-parties-that-kickstarted-gay-nightlife |access-date=2022-10-27 |website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en |issn=1756-3224}}</ref> during the "[[Fad|craze]]," drag queens — known as "pansy performers" — experienced a surge in [[Subculture|underground]] popularity, especially in [[New York City]], [[Chicago]], [[Los Angeles]], and [[San Francisco]]. The exact dates of the movement are debated, with a range from the late 1920s until 1935.<ref name="pansy:0" /><ref name="pansy:5">{{Cite web |last=Halley |first=Catherine |date=2020-01-29 |title=Four Flowering Plants That Have Been Decidedly Queered |url=https://daily.jstor.org/four-flowering-plants-decidedly-queered/ |access-date=2022-10-27 |website=JSTOR Daily |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Chaunceyauto2">{{Cite journal |last1=Cohen |first1=Lizabeth |last2=Chauncey |first2=George |date=September 1997 |title=Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940. |url=https://doi.org/10.2307/2952659 |journal=The Journal of American History |volume=84 |issue=2 |pages=685 |doi=10.2307/2952659 |jstor=2952659 |issn=0021-8723}}</ref><ref name="Chaunceyauto">{{Cite web |last= |date=2022-09-28 |title=The Work of George Chauncey, LGBTQ Historian and Kluge Prize Honoree September 27, 2022 By Neely Tucker |url=https://www.yonkerstribune.com/2022/09/the-work-of-george-chauncey-lgbtq-historian-and-kluge-prize-honoree-september-27-2022-by-neely-tucker |access-date=2022-10-27 |website=Yonkers Tribune. |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pansy Craze |url=https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/fp22-pansycraze/understanding-lgbtq-identity-educators-toolkit/ |access-date=2022-10-27 |website=PBS LearningMedia |language=en}}</ref>

The term "pansy craze" was coined by the historian [[George Chauncey]] in his 1994 book ''[[Gay New York]]''.<ref name="pansy:5"/><ref name="Chaunceyauto2"/><ref name="Chaunceyauto"/><ref>{{Cite book |last=Heap |first=Chad |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pcs6T-NVz0wC |title=Slumming: Sexual and Racial Encounters in American Nightlife, 1885-1940 |date=2008-11-15 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-32245-2 |pages=319 |language=en}}</ref>

==== First drag balls ====
The first person known to describe himself as "the queen of drag" was [[William Dorsey Swann]], born enslaved in [[Hancock, Maryland]], who in the 1880s started hosting [[Ball culture|drag balls]] in [[Washington, DC]] attended by other men who were formerly enslaved. The balls were often raided by the police, as documented in the newspapers.<ref name=":6">{{Cite news|last=Joseph|first=Channing Gerard|date=31 January 2020|title=The First Drag Queen Was a Former Slave|journal=The Nation|language=en-US|url=https://www.thenation.com/article/society/drag-queen-slave-ball/|access-date=4 February 2020|issn=0027-8378|archive-date=2 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202152031/https://www.thenation.com/article/society/drag-queen-slave-ball/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1896, Swann was convicted and sentenced to 10 months in jail on the false charge of "keeping a disorderly house" (a [[euphemism]] for running a [[brothel]]). He requested a pardon from [[Grover Cleveland|President Grover Cleveland]], but was denied.<ref name=":6" />

==== Night clubs ====
In the early to mid-1900s, female impersonation had become tied to the [[LGBT community]] and thus criminality, so it had to change forms and locations.<ref name=":0">{{citation |last=Boyd |first=Nan Alamilla |title=Wide-Open Town: A History of Queer San Francisco to 1965 |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/book/25351 |year=2003 |access-date=1 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730041610/https://muse.jhu.edu/book/25351 |url-status=live |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=9780520938748 |archive-date=30 July 2020 }}</ref>  It moved from being popular mainstream entertainment to something done only at night in disreputable areas, such as San Francisco's [[Tenderloin, San Francisco|Tenderloin]].<ref name=":0" />  Here female impersonation started to evolve into what we today know as [[Drag (clothing)|drag]] and drag queens.<ref name=":3">Baker, Roger. ''Drag: A History of Female Impersonation in the Performing Arts''. NYU Press, 1994. {{ISBN|0814712533}}{{page needed|date=June 2020}}
</ref>{{Failed verification|date=July 2023|reason=could not find this in this source. in fact, the source seems eager to except the concept of drag back into history, even if it was not called the same, he makes a solid case for the style of performance to be part of a similar tradition.

If he claims "Modern emergence/form of drag was [year]" and you find it, please add page number by making it superscript.}}  Drag queens such as [[José Sarria]]<ref>"The Drag Times." ''Drag'', 1980. Archives of Sexuality.
</ref> first came to prominence in these clubs.<ref name=":0" />  People went to these [[Gay nightclub|nightclubs]] to play with the boundaries of gender and sexuality and it became a place for the LGBT community, especially gay men, to feel accepted.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Shaw|first1=Alison|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IB0sAwAAQBAJ&q=drag+show&pg=PA103|title=Changing Sex and Bending Gender|last2=Ardener|first2=Shirley|date=1 October 2005|publisher=Berghahn Books|isbn=978-0-85745-885-8|language=en}}</ref>

As [[LGBT culture]] has slowly become more accepted in American society, drag has also become more, though not totally, acceptable in today's society.<ref name=":3" /> In the 1940s and 1950s, [[Arthur Blake (American actor)|Arthur Blake]] was one of the few female impersonators to be successful in both gay and mainstream entertainment, becoming famous for his impersonations of [[Bette Davis]], [[Carmen Miranda]], and [[Eleanor Roosevelt]] in night clubs.<ref name="variety">{{cite book|title=Obituaries: Arthur Blake|publisher=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|volume=318|issue=10|date=3 April 1985|page=87}}</ref><ref name="Spoken">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cSU1e-XStVcC&q=%22Arthur%20Blake%22|title=Spoken Word: Postwar American Phonograph Culture|pages=126–129|author=Jacob Smith|year=2011|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|isbn=9780520948358|access-date=19 March 2023|archive-date=13 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413215118/https://books.google.com/books?id=cSU1e-XStVcC&q=%22Arthur%20Blake%22|url-status=live}}</ref> At the invitation of the Roosevelts, he performed his impersonation of Eleanor at the [[White House]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Obituaries: Arthur Blake|series=[[The Stage and Television Today]]|issue=5441|date=25 July 1985|page= 21}}</ref><ref name="variety"/> He impersonated Davis and Miranda in the 1952 film ''[[Diplomatic Courier]]''.<ref name="Courier">{{cite book|title=Creating Carmen Miranda: Race, Camp, and Transnational Stardom|author=Kathryn Bishop-Sanchez|year=2021|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TbwpEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22arthur+blake%22+%22diplomatic+courier%22&pg=PT329|publisher=[[Vanderbilt University Press]]|isbn=9780826503855|access-date=19 March 2023|archive-date=25 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425211157/https://books.google.com/books?id=TbwpEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22arthur+blake%22+%22diplomatic+courier%22&pg=PT329|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Protests ====
{{Main|Cooper Donuts Riot|Compton's Cafeteria riot|Stonewall riots|Invasion of the Pines}}
[[File:Manifestation pour le mariage pour tous Paris 16 12 2012 13.jpg|thumb|[[Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence]] at a [[marriage equality]] protest in Paris, 2012]]
The [[Cooper Donuts Riot]] was a May 1959 incident in [[Los Angeles]] in which drag queens, lesbians, transgender women, and gay men rioted; it was one of the first [[LGBT]] protests in the United States.<ref name="Out">{{cite news|last1=Moffitt|first1=Evan|date=31 May 2015|title=10 Years Before Stonewall, There Was the Cooper's Donuts Riot|work=Out Magazine|agency=Here Media Inc.|url=https://www.out.com/today-gay-history/2015/5/31/today-gay-history-10-years-stonewall-there-was-coopers-donuts-riot|url-status=live|access-date=30 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621211159/https://www.out.com/today-gay-history/2015/5/31/today-gay-history-10-years-stonewall-there-was-coopers-donuts-riot|archive-date=21 June 2017}}</ref>

The [[Compton's Cafeteria riot]], which involved drag queens and others, occurred in San Francisco in 1966.<ref name="boyd">Boyd, Nan Alamilla (2004). "San Francisco" in the ''Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered History in America'', Ed. Marc Stein. Vol. 3. Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 71–78.</ref> It marked the beginning of [[transgender]] activism in San Francisco.<ref name="boyd" />

On 17 March 1968, in Los Angeles, to protest [[entrapment]] and harassment by the [[Los Angeles Police Department]], two drag queens known as "The Princess" and "The Duchess" held a St. Patrick's Day party at [[Griffith Park]], a popular [[cruising for sex|cruising]] spot and a frequent target of police activity. More than 200 gay men socialized through the day.<ref>Witt, Lynn, Sherry Thomas and Eric Marcus (eds.) (1995). ''Out in All Directions: The Almanac of Gay and Lesbian America'', p. 210. New York, Warner Books. {{ISBN|0-446-67237-8}}.</ref>

Drag queens were also involved in the [[Stonewall riots]], a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations by members of the [[LGBT community]] against a [[police raid]] that took place in the early morning hours of 28 June 1969, at the [[Stonewall Inn]], located in the [[Greenwich Village]] neighborhood of [[Manhattan]], New York City. The riots are widely considered to be the catalyst for the [[gay liberation]] movement and the modern fight for [[LGBT rights in the United States]].<ref name="diversity">{{cite web |author=National Park Service |year=2008 |title=Workforce Diversity: The Stonewall Inn, National Historic Landmark National Register Number: 99000562 |url=http://www.nps.gov/diversity/stonewall.htm |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306222059/http://www.nps.gov/diversity/stonewall.htm |archive-date=6 March 2016 |access-date=21 January 2013 |publisher=US Department of Interior}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=21 January 2013 |title=Obama inaugural speech references Stonewall gay-rights riots |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/2012_Presidential_Election/Obama_inaugural_speech_references_Stonewall_riots.html |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723025158/http://www.northjersey.com/news/2012_Presidential_Election/Obama_inaugural_speech_references_Stonewall_riots.html |archive-date=23 July 2013 |access-date=21 January 2013 |publisher=North Jersey Media Group Inc}}</ref>

During the summer of 1976, a restaurant in [[Fire Island Pines, New York|Fire Island Pines]], [[New York (state)|New York]], denied entry to a visitor in drag named Terry Warren. When Warren's friends in Cherry Grove heard what had happened, they dressed up in drag, and, on [[United States Bicentennial|4 July 1976]], sailed to the Pines by [[water taxi]]. This turned into a yearly event where drag queens go to the Pines, called the [[Invasion of the Pines]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Invasion of the Pines: Cherry Grove's Beloved 4th of July Tradition {{!}} New-York Historical Society |url=https://www.nyhistory.org/blogs/the-invasion-of-the-pines-cherry-groves-beloved-4th-of-july-tradition |access-date=2024-02-23 |website=www.nyhistory.org |language=en}}</ref>

==== Politics ====
In 1961, drag queen [[José Sarria]] ran for the [[San Francisco Board of Supervisors]], becoming the first openly gay candidate for public office in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.advocate.com/society/people/2013/08/19/legendary-drag-queen-jos%C3%A9-julia-sarria-dead-91|title=Legendary Drag Queen José Julia Sarria Dead at 91|date=19 August 2013|website=www.advocate.com|access-date=21 December 2022|archive-date=21 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221031827/https://www.advocate.com/society/people/2013/08/19/legendary-drag-queen-jos%C3%A9-julia-sarria-dead-91|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[[Neil Miller (writer)|Miller, Neil]] (1995). ''Out of the Past: Gay and Lesbian History from 1869 to the Present'', pg. 347.. New York, Vintage Books. {{ISBN|0-09-957691-0}}.</ref>

In 1991, drag queen Terence Alan Smith, as [[Joan Jett Blakk]], ran against [[Richard M. Daley]] for the office of mayor of Chicago, Illinois.<ref>Meyer, Moe (1994). ''The Politics and Poetics of Camp''. Pgs. 5-6. Psychology Press. {{ISBN|0-415-08248-X}}.</ref> The campaign was chronicled in the 1991 video ''Drag in for Votes''.<ref name="Smith:0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2050100/|title=Terence Smith|website=IMDb|access-date=2019-04-17}}</ref> After qualifying for presidency on his 35th birthday,<ref name="PBS Peppermint">{{cite web |last1=Peppermint |title=Joan Jett Blakk: The drag queen who ran for president {{!}} American Masters {{!}} PBS |url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/joan-jett-blakk-the-drag-queen-who-ran-for-president/18355/ |website=American Masters |publisher=PBS |access-date=1 August 2024 |date=6 August 2021}}</ref> Smith announced a campaign for presidency in 1992 under the slogan "Lick [[George H. W. Bush|Bush]] in '92!" and documented in the 1993 video of the same name.<ref name="Smith:0" /> Smith also ran for president in 1996 with the slogan "Lick [[Bill Clinton|Slick Willie]] in '96!" In each of these campaigns Smith ran on the [[Queer Nation Party]] ticket.<ref>Glasrud, Bruce A. (2010). ''African Americans and the Presidency: The Road to the White House''. Taylor & Francis. Pg. 13. {{ISBN|0-415-80391-8}}.</ref> In June 2019, a play based on Smith's 1992 presidential campaign, titled ''Ms. Blakk for President,'' written by [[Tarell Alvin McCraney]] and [[Tina Landau]] and starring McCraney in the title role, opened at [[Steppenwolf Theatre Company|Steppenwolf Theater]] in Chicago.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/steppenwolf-adds-tarell-alvin-mccraney-and-tina-landaus-ms-blakk-for-president-to-2019-season|title=Steppenwolf Adds Tarell Alvin McCraney and Tina Landau's Ms. Blakk for President to 2019 Season {{!}} Playbill|website=Playbill|date=13 September 2018|language=en|access-date=2018-09-17}}</ref>

In 2019, [[Maebe A. Girl]] became the first drag queen elected to public office in the United States when she was elected to the [[Silver Lake, Los Angeles|Silver Lake]] Neighborhood Council.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://qvoicenews.com/2019/04/05/drag-queen-maebe-a-girl-running-for-silver-lake-neighborhood-council/|title=Drag queen Maebe A. Girl running for Silver Lake Neighborhood Council|first=Beatriz E.|last=Valenzuela|date=5 April 2019|website=Q Voice News|access-date=3 March 2020|archive-date=3 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200303201628/https://qvoicenews.com/2019/04/05/drag-queen-maebe-a-girl-running-for-silver-lake-neighborhood-council/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaeEjSz9JQw|title=NowThis News: Meet the First Drag Queen Elected to Public Office in the United States|website=YouTube|date=29 June 2019 |access-date=3 March 2020|archive-date=29 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329043648/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaeEjSz9JQw|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/maebe-a-girl-silver-lake/|title=Meet the First Drag Queen to Be Elected to Public Office in California|first=Steven|last=Blum|date=12 April 2019|newspaper=Lamag - Culture, Food, Fashion, News & Los Angeles|access-date=3 March 2020|archive-date=8 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108122719/https://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/maebe-a-girl-silver-lake/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Other ====
[[D'Arcy Drollinger]] was appointed [[San Francisco]]'s first drag [[laureate]] in May 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-18 |title=SF Bestows First 'Drag Laureate' Title on Hardest-Working Queen |url=https://sfstandard.com/arts-culture/san-francisco-bestows-first-ever-drag-laureate-title-on-its-hardest-working-queen/ |access-date=2023-05-18 |website=The San Francisco Standard |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="autodrag">{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/san-francisco-first-drag-queen-ambassador-c97a296e3895f86b21c0562e6e92656d|title=Meet D'Arcy Drollinger, a drag queen who's now the first drag laureate in the US|date=18 May 2023|website=AP NEWS}}</ref> The role consists of serving as an ambassador for San Francisco's LGBTQ+, arts, nightlife, and entertainment communities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Drag Laureate program {{!}} San Francisco |url=https://sf.gov/drag-laureate-program |access-date=2023-05-18 |website=sf.gov}}</ref>

Pickle Drag Queen became [[West Hollywood, California|West Hollywood]]'s first  drag laureate on International Drag Day, 16 July 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wehotimes.com/pickle-drag-queen-is-officially-sashed-as-first-west-hollywood-drag-laureate/|title=Pickle Drag Queen is Officially Installed as First West Hollywood Drag Laureate - WEHO TIMES West Hollywood News, Nightlife and Events|date=19 July 2023}}</ref>