City of Drag Queens?

ignatius · Post by **ignatius** » Fri Dec 26, 2003 5:18 pm

I've been running into many queens and transvestites lately. I see them on the bus, walking on stilts swinging capes in Mill Creek Park, at Nichols, Osco and elsewhere. It ranges from caricatures of Hollywood stars to the goal of pure femininity.

The last place I worked (in Crown Center) there were three queens. One would come in as a woman, often go home for lunch and come back as a man. Another was seeing a building maintenance man and was almost run down in the garage by some other guy who was fuming over (her) stealing his boyfriend. I don't know anything about the third TV but s/he has been there many years.

KC has a long history of queens according to the library, dating back to the late 1800s.

tat2kc · Post by **tat2kc** » Sat Dec 27, 2003 11:48 am

Wasn't there a parade in the early part of the 20th Century featuring drag queens and such? I can't remember the name of the organization, but it was very popular.

ignatius · Post by **ignatius** » Sat Dec 27, 2003 1:13 pm

It was in the late 1800's to 1920's. I posted a pic in the first post but it looks like the library images site is down. That pic is 1895 if I recall.

According to the library, there was a parade that was considered to be too strenueous for women so men would dress up as women (above picture). This drew cross-dressers from everywhere. By the jazz era in the 20's and 30's, with all of the caberet clubs and a large stock of cross-dressers already established, many clubs apparently featured 'male dancers posed as women' but didn't inform the audience. An older friend of mine (80's) recalled that in the 50's there were still some regular cabaret clubs that had unnanouced 'effiminate male' dancers and he said he could not tell the difference.

ignatius · Post by **ignatius** » Sat Dec 27, 2003 3:13 pm

And don't forget Mickey... She actually got her willy whacked so I guess that makes her a transexual, not a transvestite.

FangKC · Post by **FangKC** » Thu Jan 01, 2004 2:01 am

I recall reading something that stated that during the 1920s and 30s, Kansas City had more drag queens per capita than any city except Paris. Who would have ever guessed? By all accounts, Kansas City was a pretty fun place to live back then.

GuyInLenexa · Post by **GuyInLenexa** » Mon Jan 05, 2004 7:40 pm

They have more than most cities I have been in, even Ft. Lauderdale or Dallas. Or more bars that have the DQ venue.
However, most of them are not pretty and BIG!!!!!!!
The stock show at the American Royal has better contestants.

Blue Ribbon to Belle Starr