Let’s Talk About William Dorsey Swann, the slave who became a Queen
William Dorsey Swann is a name relatively unknown, forgotten entirely for nearly a century. However, his legacy was, and is, still preserved under his other name, “The Queen of Drag.”
TW racism, abuse, slavery, imprisonment
Little is known about the early life of William Dorsey Swann, as he was born into slavery in Maryland in 1860. There are no confirmed photographs of him. But what we do know is that he was the unbending, bold center of a black queer cultural hub in the 1880s. We also know that he was victim of state-led persecution and prosecution, and that his is the first recorded instance of legal protest for queer rights in the United States. Tragically, much of what we know about his life and his person is told through court records. The first mention of him occurs in a court record dated 1882, wherein one Dorsey Swan pled guilty to a charge of petty larceny. He spent 6 months in jail for the theft of books from the Washington Library Company, and another month for theft of party supplies from his employer.
Swann worked for the Spencerian Business College as a janitor at the time. A month after his sentencing, members of the Washington Library Company as well as his employers’, Henry and Sara Spencer, petitioned the President of the United States for Swann’s release.
Their signed petition gives much more detail about the nature of the theft, and also sings the praises of Swann, stating that “…he was free from vice, industrious, refined in his habits, and associations, gentle in his disposition, courteous in his bearing…”
It was also noted that the reason for the theft was Swann’s attempt to educate himself and provide for his family, and stated that they would guarantee lifetime employment for him as a janitor at their college. The records have been lost that disclose whether or not their petition was successful. However, this brief glimpse into Swann’s life, when he was just 22 years old, tells us a great deal. Firstly, we know he could read. This was not a fact that could be taken for granted for black Americans at the time. Beyond that, however, we know that he was incredibly passionate about his own education, and willing to use unconventional methods to learn and protect those he loved. We also know he must have been an enigmatic presence; creating such an impression as a young, black janitor that the white owners of the college were willing to advocate to the President of the United States on his behalf. This is even more curious when it is noted that the items stolen from the Spencer residence were plates, silverware, and other items needed for hosting a party. In retrospect, we know these items were likely used to host his secret drag balls. If the Spencers were aware of this intended usage, we have no way of knowing. Either way, from here the record on Swann goes quiet until 1887.
On Janurary 14th, 1887, police raided the home of Swann’s partner Pierce Lafayette (whose slaveowner had been none other than Alexander Stephens, the Vice President of the Confederacy). The Washington Critic reported on this raid, saying, “Six colored men, dressed in elegant female attire, were arraigned in the dock at the Police Court this morning on a charge of being suspicious persons... They nearly all had on low neck and short sleeve silk dresses, several of them with trains, corsets, bustles, long hose and slippers, and everything that goes to make a female’s dress complete.” Again, the record leaves us with more questions than answers. However, we can assert that these were two intelligent, passionate men who were well aware of the circumstances in which they lived, and the risks they faced for continuing to boldly host and inhabit queer spaces. The 1887 raid was widely reported, and was the first instance in which the drag balls, which had been restricted to whispered invitations and secret meetings, became known to the wider world. Participating in these drag balls posed a severe risk. Although many would escape, any who were caught in police raids would have their names published, likely leading to harassment, firing, and open abuse. Researchers of the time also took an interest in these groups. Western thinking lacked language, at this point, for queer communities, so these groups were described by various psychiatrists. Dr. Charles Hughes described the group as an “organization of colored erotopaths”, while Dr. Irving Rosse took the kinder approach, describing Swann’s group as, “a band of negro men with…androgenous characteristics.” The intensive interest from outsiders likely made it much more difficult to stay hidden, further evidenced by the next successful police raid occurring on April 13th, 1888. On this occasion, more than a dozen ballgoers likely escaped, but Swann and others were captured. Swann reportedly fought back, telling a police officer “You is no gentleman,” as he engaged in a brawl that ended with his dress being torn to pieces.
The report, following the 1887 report, outraged many citizens. One newspaper, the National Republican, stated of the raid, “It is safe to assert that the number living as do those who were taken into custody last night must be exceedingly small.”
In all likelihood, the number of people who openly practiced drag, or were openly queer at that time, was exceedingly small, not due to these people not existing in the population, but due to the brutal and immediate consequences of such “deviancy” at the time.
In the light of the age around him, the courage and self-confidence of Swann is difficult to wrap one’s head around. As a black, queer man in Washington DC in the 1880s, there was likely no one in either the public nor in the law or legislature, who would side with him. Yet he continued. The limitations of knowing about his life mostly from court records and the writings of his oppressors leave his history blank for nearly a decade. On January 1st, 1896, William Dorsey Swann was charged with “keeping a disorderly house”, a euphemism at the time for running a brothel.
There is no evidence to indicate that any of Swann’s group was engaged in sex work, however despite Swann’s plea of not guilty, he was quickly sentenced to 300 days in jail. 3 months into his sentence, he once again filed a petition for his release. His petition argued that his sentence was much more severe than others applied for the same crime. Thirty others (possibly other members of his drag community) signed onto this petition in support.
However, unlike his first pardon, in 1882, this one was met with scorn at every level of the legislature. The US Attorney who reviewed it, A. A. Birney, wrote, “This petition is wholly without merit. While the charge of keeping a disorderly house does not on its face differ from other cases in which milder sentences have been imposed, the prisoner was in fact convicted of the most horrible and disgusting offences known to the law; an offence so disgusting that it is unnamed. This is not the first time that the prisoner has been convicted of this crime, and his evil example in the community must have been most corrupting.”
The judge who had sentenced Swann to 10 months in prison felt similarly, being quoted as saying directly to Swann at his trial, “I would like to send you where you would never again see a man’s face, and would then like to rid the city of all other disreputable persons of the same kind. Thieving and petty assaults amount to nothing as compared with the conduct of these people.” When the first pardon request was rejected, Swann’s family and friends did not give up. A doctor who had previously given Swann a clean bill of health stated that prison conditions may endanger his life due to a heart condition. Once again, President Grover Cleveland was petitioned, and he rejected this petition as well. His reasoning for rejection was that the concerns over Swann’s health were not sufficient in light of the crime committed. Although these petitions were rejected, Swann served his time and was released.
Around 1900, we know that he retired from hosting drag balls, and passed the mantle onto one of his younger brothers (several of whom had attended and participated in his drag balls for many years), Daniel J. Swann. Daniel Swann ran drag balls in Washington DC until 1954, the year of his death. The original Swann, William Dorsey, left marks to this day on drag, popular and queer cultural norms. He is the first known person to be referred to as a “queen of drag”, from his nickname, “The Queen.”
He, and his group, unequivocally had dramatic impacts on the art form of drag as a whole. His balls featured all-male patrons, and were primarily (but not entirely) black. Many of the dances performed were directly taken from dance traditions of black enslaved peoples in the US.
One of the most popular dances has even made its way into American slang today; the “cakewalk”. This dance was performed by partners who would compete against other sets of dancers for a baked good as a reward (hence the name). Under Swann and others, this dance was often performed by two male partners. This variety of act became so popular that some cakewalkers, such as this pair photographed in Paris in 1903, toured worldwide. It is difficult to know, however, if these performers were doing drag, or merely costuming for mass entertainment.
These performances were so popular that one was even filmed by one of the Lumiere brothers in Paris in 1902, giving us a gorgeous peek into what these dances may have looked like.
Swann’s legacy also matters as he is the first recorded person to file a legal complaint against queer discrimination. That in and of itself is historic, and directly disproves the often-quoted idea that the queer rights struggle began at Stonewall, in 1969.
We have always been here. We will always be here. And I can only imagine how absolutely miraculous the progress we have made would look to someone like William Dorsey Swann… or how miraculous the progress we continue to make will be to us, years in the future.
The majority of the information in this thread was provided from this article by Channing Gerard Joseph, who is writing a full book on the life and legacy of William Dorsey Swann, “House of Swann: Where Slaves Became Queens”.
More information on his upcoming book can be found here: https://whiting.org/content/channing-gerard-joseph#/… He is the primary agent responsible for digging up the name of William Dorsey Swann, once lost to history, and I would personally like to thank him for this.
Another important source for this thread comes from a blog post by Netisha Currie, who found and analyzed court documents on Swann’s convictions and petitions.
I would also like to make a quick note here regarding pronouns: I chose to use he/him pronouns for William Dorsey Swann, as they were the primary self-chosen pronouns used in his life. When outside of drag balls, he presented masculine, used his given name, and used he/him.
Although it is difficult to determine what many historical figures would have identified as in contemporary terms, I attempt to use the names and pronouns that the individual used most commonly in their own lifetime, to respect their person and autonomy.
This article is part of an ongoing series of mine known as #NoMoreRevisionistCistory.
