Do some more research into Drag Balls. You may choose to focus on drag balls during a specific period. How did/do the participants in drag balls in Harlem or other African American communities address race,
class, gender and sexuality in their performances? Include at least two images with any relevant details you can find. You may want to either watch the film Paris is Burning (1990) or read some articles about it.
Drag balls in the United States became common during the 1900s, especially since the 1920s as a way of coming out for homosexuals. During the time, cross-dressing for homosexual men became common, and they would dress in feminine clothes to attend parties organized for the purpose (Queer and Race Dialogues – Drag Ball). The image below is an example of a man dressed in provocative outfits, which was common during the drag balls.
Cross-dressing during the 1920s in urban America came out strongly as a way of exerting identity surrounding race, class, gender and sexuality. Gladys Bentley is a perfect example of how drag balls were used during the period to communicate the need to respect people’s identity relating to race, class, gender and sexuality. The woman was a cross-dresser who performed in the New York City and San Francisco in the 1920s and later (see image below).
The image relates to conversations that emerged during the 1900s in the United States surrounding race and sexuality. Therefore, through entertainment and art-making, members of the minority groups, such as gender, race and sexuality, came out strongly to claim their space in society (Queer and Race Dialogues). The artwork allowed them to express their feeling about the social injustices against the minority groups in the country. In the documentary, Paris is Burning (1990), a similar culture of coming out to fight for a space in the entertainment industry for socially shunned groups emerge. Drag queens in urban America asserted their need for identity by coming out publicly to address issues of racism and poverty. The readings and the film reveal and essential time in the history of the different marginalized groups as they came out openly to express themselves and claim a place in the entertainment and art world in America.
Works Cited
Cuoco, John. Paris is Burning (1990)
Queer and Race Dialogues – Drag Ball
Queer and Race Dialogues: Queer and Race Dialogues, Identity Politics
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