The history of drag performance in Chicago
From the birth of the scene in the 1890s to the 1950s to what we see today, drag has a rich history in the Windy City.
Chicago is home to a thriving and diverse drag scene. And when you talk about the history of drag in the city, it’s difficult not to also talk about LGBTQ+ issues of the time, as well as disco and house music.
Reset is joined by a historian and drag performer to learn more about how drag has evolved decade by decade and discuss the implications of recent legislative efforts to ban drag across the country.
GUESTS: James Conley, board co-chair of Gerber/Hart Library and Archives and volunteer curator of Gerber Hart Library and Archives’s 2018 exhibit The City That Werqs: A History of Chicago’s Drag Revolutionaries
Coco Sho-Nell, Chicago drag queen and performer
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons
The history of drag performance in Chicago
From the birth of the scene in the 1890s to the 1950s to what we see today, drag has a rich history in the Windy City.
Chicago is home to a thriving and diverse drag scene. And when you talk about the history of drag in the city, it’s difficult not to also talk about LGBTQ+ issues of the time, as well as disco and house music.
Reset is joined by a historian and drag performer to learn more about how drag has evolved decade by decade and discuss the implications of recent legislative efforts to ban drag across the country.
GUESTS: James Conley, board co-chair of Gerber/Hart Library and Archives and volunteer curator of Gerber Hart Library and Archives’s 2018 exhibit The City That Werqs: A History of Chicago’s Drag Revolutionaries
Coco Sho-Nell, Chicago drag queen and performer