Early Drag Queens pt. 2

Published: Sept. 4, 2023, 7:01 a.m.

b"For part two of our series, we are starting in the anti-gay moral panic of the 50s and 60s to see how the drag scene continued to transform underground, with female impressionists dazzling the starlets they tried to copy as closely as possible. We'll be introduced to a nationwide pageant circuit which allowed drag queens the opportunity to compete just like Miss America contestants, leading to a popular and well-reviewed documentary that revealed the controversial personal lives of these performers. Then we'll drop right into the Gay Liberation Movement where rifts between gay men, lesbian feminists, and drag queens led to a harsh animosity. Next we'll look at the southern tradition of Womanless Weddings that stretches back to the 1800s, where well-to-do men acted out every part of ceremony as a community wide ritual of hilarity. Finally, we'll travel all the way back to 16th century London where a moral panic around the theater's evil influence very much included the boys and men who dressed in woman's costumes to play their roles.\\n\\nBecome a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content\\nTell us your teenage tale on our Urban Legends Hotline!\\n\\nAmerican Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith\\nSound design by Clear Commo Studios\\nResearch Assistant: Riley Swedelius-Smith\\nProducer and Editor: Miranda Zickler\\nVoice Acting by Will Rogers\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices"