History of Milwaukee Drag, A

Seven Generations of Glamour

Michail Takach, BJ Daniels

• Publisher: The History Press
• Year: 2022
• ISBN:
  9781439675106
• Topic: Historia
• Subtopic: Historia de Norteamérica

p> The queens that made Milwaukee famous

For over a century, drag has been an unstoppable force in Milwaukee nightlife. On June 7, 1884, "The Only Leon" brought the fine art of female impersonation to the Grand Opera Hall, launching a proud local legacy that continues today at This Is It, La Cage, Hamburger Mary's, D.I.X. and innumerable other venues.

Historians Michail Takach and BJ Daniels recognize that today's LGBTQ liberties were born from the strength, resilience, and resistance of yesterday's gender non-conforming pioneers. This is a long overdue celebration of those stories, including high-rolling hustler of the Fourth Ward "Badlands" Frank Blunt, over-the-top dinner theater drag superstar of the 1950s Adrian Ames, and "It Kid" Jamie Gays, first-ever Miss Gay Milwaukee and Latin community hero.

And many, many more.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1. The Birth of the Prima Donna (1884–1912)
• 2. The Roaring Twenties and the Pansy Craze (1913–1936)
• 3. Into the Jewel Box (1937–1960)
• 4. Liberation (1961–1980)
• 5. The Golden Age (1981–1990)
• 6. Drag and the Disappearing Gay Bar (1991–2008)
• 7. The Rise of the RuGirl (2009– )
• About the Authors