Over 100 years before RuPaul was telling us to ‘sashay away’, William Dorsey Swann, who had been born into slavery in 19th Century America, was making a name for themself as the world’s first self-described drag queen.
LGBTQ+ historian Channing Joseph, author of House of Swann, explains how he discovered the forgotten history of one of the earliest efforts of queer resistance and liberation in America.
Video by Alva French
Animation by Dan John
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