As one of the first known drag queens, William Dorsey Swann unapologetically expressed himself in a time when queerness was an unspeakable crime, holding drag balls in the 1880s-90s that would popularize ballroom culture.

As one of the first known drag queens, William Dorsey Swann unapologetically expressed himself in a time when queerness was an unspeakable crime, holding drag balls in the 1880s-90s that would popularize ballroom culture.