William Dorsey Swann, Queen of Drag: Uncovering America’s Black Queer History
Channing Joseph tells the story of William Dorsey Swann, a formerly enslaved Black man who became the earliest-known self-described drag queen.
In his new book, House of Swann: Where Slaves Became Queens – and Changed the World, Channing Joseph tells the story of William Dorsey Swann, a formerly enslaved Black man who became the earliest-known self-described drag queen and the first known American queer activist. Drawing on previously unexplored archival sources, Joseph describes how Swann inspired a rebellious group of butlers, coachmen, and cooks—most of them also formerly enslaved people—to create a secret world of crossdressing balls in the 1880s and ’90s in Washington, DC, the center of American power, prestige, and influence. Joseph describes Swann’s remarkable life and explores how anti-Blackness and queerphobia have intersected throughout US history.
Meet the speaker
Channing Joseph teaches at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. He completed his BA at Oberlin College and MSc in Journalism at Columbia University, and has also worked at Oberlin and the State University of New York–Plattsburgh. His work has been supported by a Logan Nonfiction Fellowship, a Whiting Grant…
