D.C. Neighborhood Moves To Rename Iconic Street After The World’s First ‘Queen Of Drag’ | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the The Daily Wire. The author of this post is John Rigolizzo.

    A Washington, D.C. neighborhood is attempting to rededicate an iconic street in the city's Dupont Circle neighborhood in honor of the world's first drag queen.

    Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2B member Matthew Holden introduced a resolution to rededicate Swann Street, which spans about 5 city blocks in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of the nation's capital, according to local news outlet DCist. The resolution would name the street in honor of William Dorsey Swann, a former slave who lived in Washington and was the first person to self-identify as a "queen of drag." While the Commission's resolution will do nothing on its own, Holden is optimistic that the D.C. city council will support the effort.

    "We thought it would be exciting to dedicate Swann Street after William Dorsey Swann, a Black Washingtonian who was a pioneer in a lot of different ways," Holden told DCist.

    Holden also shared a draft of the resolution with the outlet. The resolution notes that Swann, who referred to himself as "The Queen of Drag," ran a secret social group called the "House of Swann" that organized balls for formerly enslaved men, where attendees would gather to "dance and crossdress." The resolution also says that Swann was "persecuted by the authorities," citing his multiple arrests for "'impersonating a woman'" and "'keeping a disorderly house.'" It also says that he sought a pardon from President Grover Cleveland, and champions him as "the first American on record to pursue legal action in defense of LGBT rights."

    The resolution thus urges the D.C. city council and Mayor Muriel Bowser to support, pass, and sign into law legislation that would rededicate Swann Street in honor of William Dorsey Swann. "Rededicating Swann Street in honor of William Dorsey Swann would honor the history of the Striver's Section Historic District as a Black Neighborhood and Dupont Circle's History as the epicenter of Washington's LGBT Community," the draft says.

    Holden told DCist that the Mayor's office has expressed support for the effort. He expressed hope that the city council would pass legislation rededicating the street, and would add a nameplate or a plaque that could tell some of Swann's history.

    The current namesake of the street is purported to be Thomas Swann, who served as Mayor of Baltimore from 1856-1860, and then Governor of Maryland from 1865-1869. He also served in the House of Representatives for 10 years, from 1869 to 1879. As mayor, he was a member of the nativist "Know-Nothing" party, and enacted policies allowing for the persecution of blacks. But when he was sworn in as governor in 1865, he opposed slavery and voiced support for free labor for blacks.

    William Dorsey Swann was born into slavery in 1858 in Hancock, Maryland. He moved to D.C. some time after Emancipation, and began hosting drag balls in the 1880s and 90s. The balls, which were actually called "drags" at the time, were conducted in secret; black men would dress up in dresses and dance dances like the cakewalk. Attendees used the term "queen" to address the leaders of the balls.

    The resolution also comes just one day after a petition to replace a statue of Russian empress Catherine the Great in Odessa, Ukraine, with a statue of an American gay porn star, crossed the legal threshold for it to be automatically sent to President Volodymyr Zelensky's desk for consideration
Go Back


Leave a Guest Comment

Your Name or Alias
Your Email Address ( your email address will not be published)
Enter Your Comment ( no code or urls allowed, text only please )




‘Low Morale’ From Seattle Police Department Harms Public Safety, Mayor Announces $2 Million Recruitment Plan Daily Wire, Guest Editorial, Editorials, Op-Ed & Politics Don Lemon: Journalists Must Treat Republicans As ‘Dangerous To Our Society’


HbAD0

Latest Op-Ed & Politics

President Joe Biden took direct aim at Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas during a recent interview, referring to him simply as “the guy who likes to spend a lot of time on yachts.”
The best way the county and city can help hold down inflation is to resist all tax increases
Pope Francis lambasted leftist gender ideology during an address this week, warning that it presented an extreme danger to mankind.
amnesty would just encourage more illegal aliens to storm our borders
The Christmas candy was barely off the shelves when the Valentine’s candy appeared. Red and pink hearts with caramel and nut-filled chocolate goodness caught our eye. We are reminded of how we love love. Young love, especially.
far left sugar daddy has also funded anti-Israel groups and politicians in US
Be careful what you wish for, you may get it
America needs to wake up and get its priorities right

HbAD1

Former President Donald Trump suggested this week that if he becomes president again, he might allow Prince Harry to be deported.
It's a New Year, which means it's time to make resolutions — even for prominent evangelical leaders. The Babylon Bee asked the following well-known figures in the faith what they hope to accomplish in 2024:
Vice President Kamala Harris will visit a Minnesota Planned Parenthood clinic, reportedly the first time a president or vice president has visited an abortion facility.
An eight-mile stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville has been temporarily closed due to a string of “human and bear interactions,” the National Parks Service announced.
University of Wisconsin tried to punish conservatives for the fact that liberals regularly commit crimes to silence opposition
most voters think EU officials not doing a good job on illegal immigration
Come from behind by GOP candidate is a blueprint to 2024
Biden spending and energy policies to blame

HbAD2

 
Back to Top