GLITTER AND CONCRETE

A comprehensive report on the history of drag.

Writer and photographer Goodman vibrantly chronicles the history of “the renegades and rebels” who created and maintained the drag lifestyle since the mid-1800s. An ardent fan of drag since she watched To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, the author shares her meticulous historical research, which includes numerous hours of interview material. Goodman begins with a discussion of how gender impersonation proliferated in the 1800s despite a suppressive 1846 “masquerade law” forbidding it. From the end of the 19th century, the popularity of masquerade “drag” balls took off in Harlem and Greenwich Village, where a more liberated form of performance became more popular, even motivating gay World War II soldiers to don costumes and inspiring actors like Mae West to defy conformity laws. However, law enforcement continued to disrupt the party, with increasingly violent raids on gay clubs and performance venues, adding fuel to a burgeoning liberation rebellion that culminated in the Stonewall riots of 1969. As a glamorous display of self-expression, the popularity of drag continued to grow, championed by artists, including Andy Warhol, who increased awareness throughout the 1980s AIDS epidemic. Embedded within these fascinating microhistories are vividly presented profiles of the fearless queens who embraced their craft regardless of naysayers or prohibitive laws. Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Joey Arias, Divine, and countless others channeled their outrage and grief into radical performance art. Goodman also spotlights the venues that hosted these events, including the East Village’s Pyramid Club, which was known for AIDS fundraisers and became a cultural workshop for queens to cultivate community, inspire activism, and develop their personas. Drag has since become more mainstream and commercialized thanks to programs like RuPaul’s Drag Race. Throughout this lively and celebratory book, Goodman portrays the dynamic forces of a fearless community bound by their love of performance and using “glamour as a potent force of resistance.”

An essential addition to the literature of both drag and queer history.