Vintage Drag Queen photographs--Francis Renault

With it being October 1st I  thought it was fitting in a way to pay tribute to those men who were drag queens, female impersonators, female illusionists or how ever we want to call these talented men.  Of course drag has been around forever, from boys playing the roles of girls in Shakespeare to now Rupaul and His show Rupaul's Drag Races.  Of course if your from a certain generation many will recall it was drag queens who lead the fight at Stonewall.  It was drag queens who first were raising money for AIDS and for some very odd reason it is drag queens as one of the subculture in gay life that the media always focuses on at Gay pride events.

Some of you who know me really know well, also know that I did my share of female impersonation.  I worked in drag for nearly twenty years, hanging my stilleto's up eight years ago.  It all started at Halloween, Michael (my first boyfriend) heard me singing Streisand songs in the shower one morning and promptly said "Girl, you need to impersonate her.  You really sound like her and sweetie if you can make you look like it her you could make some big bucks.

Well Michael at the time was a Ms. Gay California, which is where I was living and it pulled a lot of weight.  He was always looking for new talent.  So he made me up to be Streisand, the early years, you know the sailor suit, the pencil dress, the long nails, the cleopatra eye liner and I learned to cross my eyes rather quickly.  What set me apart in 1986 was that I sang live, no lipsynching here.  Rage Nightclub hired me on the spot, the man that ran the club was a huge Streisand fan and he was in tears when I was done.

When Michael died I lost of course my lover and best freind but also my manager, my make up artist and stylist.  I semi-retired for 3 years and started all over again in Cleveland.  The Streisand years were over and I began doing Bette Midler.  I ended my career completely when Ron died now almost 8 years ago.

I was over the whole drag bit.  It is how I raised all the money to open New Hope.  With what happened with New Hope I had no desire to ever don a wig again.  It was some of the very best and also some of the very worst times of my life.  I regret none of it.  In that span of nearly twenty years I am the proudest of helping raise nearly $750,000 for many different charities--the biggest being AIDS.

It seems since Ron has died that I have been on this epic journey to find the man I have always been and for me part of that man was impersonating women.  It gives you a huge insight into their lives.  How they move, how the talk,walk, think and along the way you also deal quiet a bit with the sterotypes too.  Maybe one day if the right cause came along I would consider doing drag one more time.  For now though it is part of the past that, with everything considered I remember very fondly.

"The Slave of Fashion"--Francis Renault
All of the photogrpahs in this post happen to be of renowned Female impersonator Francis Renault who was the featured model in a number of women's fashion shows and burlesque performances.  One of his appearances was promoted in the Boston Traveler on July 23, 1931:  A special fashion show, sponsored by Francis Renault, "The Slave of Fashion," will be put on at Scollay Square Theatre, tomorrow afternoon. Renault's ability to display the latest and most beautiful feminine creations is well-known to Hub theatergoers, and tomorrow this versatile artist promises many new striking fashion delights.

So to those brave men who helped pave the way for all of us today, thank you.  So until next time kids, I am so glas we had this time together.  Tomorrow- Vintage men's underwear ads "The Early 1900's".