How Black Queer Culture Shaped History | Channing Gerard Joseph | TED

Summary

The speaker explores the erased history of Black queer communities, highlighting the significance of figures like William Dorsey Swann, the first documented drag queen, and the influence of Black American culture on drag. They emphasize the importance of recognizing and learning from these histories to understand the broader social movements for civil rights and queer liberation, and to appreciate the contributions of Black queer individuals to American society.

Takeaways

• 🎤 'Walk light, ladies, the cake's all dough. You needn’t mind the weather if the wind don’t blow.' is a song from the slavery era, highlighting its significance in Black American culture and early queer events.
• 🌈 The term 'drag queen' has roots in the African-American emancipation, with William Dorsey Swann being the first documented person to use the title in a cross-dressing context.
• 🏳️‍🌈 The history of Black queer individuals is often overlooked, with figures like Bayard Rustin and Frances Thompson making significant, yet underrecognized, contributions to civil rights and social change.
• 📚 Genealogy, focusing on heterosexual lineage, and historical bias have contributed to the erasure of Black queer communities from mainstream historical narratives.
• 👑 Swann's use of 'queen' as a title was not only an honorific but also one of the earliest positive self-identifiers within the queer community.
• 🚨 The police raids on Swann's drag balls and his subsequent legal battles make him an early American LGBTQ+ activist, advocating for queer rights.
• 🎭 The mainstream popularity of drag today, as seen in shows like 'RuPaul’s Drag Race', has its origins in the historical drag balls of the 19th century, which were a form of resistance and self-expression.
• 🗽 The Emancipation Day parade in Washington, DC, and the concept of 'queens' inspired Swann to adopt the title, linking drag culture to the celebration of freedom and identity.
• 🏁 The narrative of queer liberation often starts with the Stonewall uprising, but the script challenges this, emphasizing the decades of activism and community building that preceded it.
• 🌟 The script calls for the recovery and recognition of Black queer histories, arguing that these stories are crucial for a comprehensive understanding of shared human history and identity.

Q & A

What is the significance of the song mentioned in the script?

The song is significant as it was popular during the slavery era and was sung by Black Americans on holidays and during cakewalk dance contests. It also connects to the early queer ball culture in the United States.

How does the script suggest that drag culture is related to African-American emancipation?

The script suggests that drag culture is related to African-American emancipation through the historical figure of William Dorsey Swann, who was inspired by Emancipation Day parades and adopted the title 'queen' for himself, which is one of the earliest positive terms used by queer people to describe themselves.

Why have Black queer communities been largely erased from history according to the script?

The script suggests that Black queer communities have been erased from history partly due to historical research beginning with genealogy, which is a record of heterosexual behavior, and partly because historians have looked down on Black queer folks as immoral and deviant.

Who is Bayard Rustin and what is his significance in the script?

Bayard Rustin was a gay Black man who organized the March on Washington in 1963, leading to the passage of the Civil Rights Act. His significance in the script is to highlight the contributions of Black queer individuals to history that are often overlooked.

What impact did the testimony of Frances Thompson have on the Reconstruction era?

Frances Thompson, a formerly enslaved Black woman assigned male at birth, gave harrowing congressional testimony about the Memphis race riots of 1866, which helped shape the course of Reconstruction and galvanized support for the 14th Amendment.

Why does the script argue that learning Black queer history is crucial to understanding our shared history?

The script argues that learning Black queer history is crucial because it provides a more complete and accurate understanding of the contributions and experiences of Black queer individuals who have shaped history, and it challenges the erasure of these communities from historical narratives.

What is the significance of William Dorsey Swann in the history of drag culture?

William Dorsey Swann is significant as he is considered the first drag queen. He was the earliest documented person to call himself a queen of a cross-dressing party described as a drag, which began the use of the term 'drag queen' in the context of queer culture.

How did the term 'drag' originate according to the script?

The term 'drag' possibly originated from a contraction of 'grand rag,' which is an early term for a masquerade ball, as per the script.

Why is it important to consider how historical figures like Swann thought of themselves?

It is important to consider how historical figures like Swann thought of themselves to respect their identities and to avoid erasing a crucial element of shared history, as applying modern identities to people of the past can lead to misunderstandings and disrespect.

What is the connection between the drag balls of the 19th century and modern drag culture?

The connection between the drag balls of the 19th century and modern drag culture is that they share a similar structure, with queens presiding over beauty and dance contests, and the term 'queen' continues to be used as a positive term for drag performers.

What is the script's call to action regarding the erasure of Black queer stories from history?

The script calls for the recovery and recognition of Black queer stories that have been erased from history, emphasizing that these stories can provide valuable insights into our shared identity and history.