The History of Drag in New York City

Unsung History

RuPaul’s Drag Race first aired on TV in 2009, but the New York City drag scene that launched RuPaul started over a century earlier. From drag balls to Wigstock, New York has long been considered the capital of drag culture.

Joining me in this episode to discuss New York City’s rich history of drag is writer Elyssa Maxx Goodman, author of Glitter and Concrete: A Cultural History of Drag in New York City.

Our theme song is Frogs Legs Rag, composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. The mid-episode music is “The New York Glide,” written by Tim Delaney and performed by Ethel Waters and Albury’s Blue & Jazz Seven in May 1921; the performance is in the public domain. The episode image is Lady Bunny, photographed by Tai Seef during Wigstock 2001, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Additional Sources:

• “How Drag Queens Have Sashayed Their Way Through History,” by Sam Sanders and Josh Axelrod, NPR, June 27, 2019.
• “The US has a rich drag history. Here’s why the art form will likely outlast attempts to restrict it,” by Scottie Andrew, CNN, April 29, 2023.
• “From police raids to pop culture: The early history of modern drag,” by Emily Martin, National Geographic, June 2, 2023.
• “The Evolution of Drag: A History of Self-Expressionism,” by Gaelle Abou Nasr, Arcadia, December 12, 2021.
• “InQueery: Trixie Mattel Breaks Down the History of ‘Drag,’” Them, September 20, 2018.
• “Julian Eltinge was the most famous drag queen ever. What happened? [video]”, PBS American Masters, February 18, 2021.
• “A century ago, this star ‘female impersonator’ made men swoon,” by Randy Dotinga, The Washington Post, June 24, 2023.
• “Mob Queens [podcast],” by Jessica Bendinger & Michael Seligman.
• “Stonewall Riots,” History.com, Originally posted May 31, 2017, and updated June 23, 2023.
• “Marsha Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and the history of Pride Month,” Smithsonian, June 7, 2021.
• “Before There Was ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ There Was Wigstock,” by Michael Appeler, Variety, May 6, 2019.
• “The Pyramid Club: New York City’s First Drag Landmark,” by Dawson Knick, Village Preservation, July 25, 2019.
• “Wigstock Returns From the Dead,” by Jacob Bernstein, The New York Times, August 15, 2018.
• “New Heights for a Diva: RuPaul's TV Talk Show,” by Andrea Higbie, The New York Times, October 20, 1996.
• “Behind the Rise of RuPaul’s Drag Race,” by Maria Elena Fernandez, Variety, August 22, 2017.
• “There Has Never Been a Show Like RuPaul’s Drag Race,” by David Canfield, Vanity Fair, August 27, 2021.
• “RuPaul Shares the Origin of His Name and Drag Persona [video],” Late Night with Seth Meyers, February 12, 2020.
• “NYPD Commissioner Apologizes For 'Oppressive' 1969 Raid On Stonewall Inn,” by Bobby Allyn and Dani Matias, NPR, June 6, 2019.

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