A Brief Timeline of the Modern LGBTQ Movement | National News

Prior to the 20th century, many LGBTQ people were siloed and did not publicly disclose their identities. It is often challenging for historians to identify groups of LGBTQ people from the 19th century and earlier. One exception was an early social club in Washington, D.C. In the 1880s, William Dorsey Swann, a man born into slavery, made history as the very first “queen of drag.” Together with other gay Black men, Swann attended the first documented drag balls held in Washington, D.C. The attendees would dance in satin ball gowns. As would be the case with gay gatherings for generations to come, the original drag balls were also broken up by the police. Swann’s story went largely unheard until journalist-turned historian Channing Joseph discovered a news clipping about one such police raid.