Gay DC Tou - Rainbow History Project · Ella Fitzgerald, demanding shaper of shows and talents,...

DC is acity

of drag queensand kings.

“Talk to the dragqueen!” says dragdiva Ella Fitzgerald at Ziegfeld’s,and people do. And she remindsthem, “It’s all an illusion!” They

come for theillusion, theart of imper-sonation.They comefor the cos-tumes, andthey stay forthe wit andthe bitchybanter.

Enthusiastic audiences have sup-ported drag performers here fordecades with their tips and applause.Aspiring newcomers, eager to learnthe art of impersonation, streamedhere from drag’s earliest days.

By the late 1990s, DC clubsoffered more than 40 scheduledweekly drag shows, more than anycity other than Dallas or Atlanta.Crowds packed in on the weekendsat Ziegfeld’s, Mondays at Omega,Tuesdays and Sundays at Mr. P’s,Wednesdays at the Bachelor’s Mill,Fridays at Escandalo and Saturdaysat Chaos, Remington’s and NobHill. Annual club and city-wide dragpageants for titles such as MissZiegfeld’s, Miss Chaos, MissCapital Pride, Miss Gay DCAmerica, Miss Metropolitan, andothers fill out the schedule.

Washington has long featured professional illu-sionists. The Crystal (later Bohemian) Cavernsfeatured top local performers such as Louis “TheMagnificent” Diggs in the 40s and 50s. TheRedskin Lounge (nicknamed ’The Foreskin’) onLSt. featured the irrepressible Ray Bourbon inthe mid-50s. The Jewel Box Review played theCasino Royale and the Dunbar theaters bringingLynne Carter and male impersonator Stormé deLaviere to local audiences in the 50s and 60s.Bob’s Inn, across from the Tivoli in the late 60s,featured impersonators Peaches and AvisPend’avis. National stars Craig Russell, DameEdna, RuPaul and others followed.

Today drag performance in the city centers onclub shows and the Washington Academy, gayWashington’s first (1961) social and supportorganization.

In the late summer of1961, Alan Kress, a.k.a.Liz Taylor, wanted to“mold an elite group ofpeople whose social lifewould center arounddrag.” Four years beforeJosé Saria created theImperial House system in

San Francisco, Kress organized the first regularlyscheduled annual drag awards and provided asafe haven, performance sites, mentoring, andstandards for the city’s often ostracized dragqueens. The contemporary Academy traces itsoldest and top titles, such as Best Actress andActor, to Taylor’s group.

In the fall of 1961, Bill Fryestarted a Masquerade Ball, thefirst city-wide pageant. In 1964Jerry Buskirk, a.k.a. BeulahBuskirk, one of Washington’sleading female impersonators,took it over as the Miss GayeAmerica pageant. In 1986, theAcademy established its separate

members-only Miss Gaye America (DC) pageant,with points awarded in a variety of categories.

Opportunities were more limited for African-American drag artists in a segregated social scene.Performers depended on rented private spaces fortheir social events.

Ken White, a.k.a. Black Pearl, emerged as a lead-ing African-American drag impresario in the late60s. Black Pearl organized drag cruises on thePotomac and drag balls at the Cairo Hotel and thePalm Ballroom, providing opportunities for fellowAfrican-American drag performers.

White’s greatest achievement was to break themajor hotels’ban on drag. In February 1968, BlackPearl staged the Black Pearl International Awards atthe Washington Hilton. It was thedrag event of theyear.

The modern drag trainingsystem emerged in the 60sas leading drag artistsbecame ‘mothers’to thosewanting to learn the art ofillusion. Emerging leadersin the mid-60s includedCarl Rizzi, a.k.a. MameDennis, and Alex Carlino,

a.k.a. Fanny Brice. Drag mothers formed ‘houses’:Mame Dennis led Beekman Place; Liz Taylor led Butterfield 8; Beulah Buskirk led Family Affair;Fanny Brice led Henry Street; Patty Duke led Maryland House; and Kim Novak led Paramount Plaza.

Trainees often adopted the drag mother’s name astheir surname, creating drag lineages and familytrees. In later years, headliners in the clubs (manyof them trainees of the Academy) created club lin-eages as well. Well-known DC drag familiesinclude the Bloomingdales, the Blues, the Carreros,the Dennises, the Devereaux, the Kanes, theKazans, the Maharises, the O’Haras, the Santanas,the St. James, and many others.

An acrimonious split hit Kress’s Academiesgroup in the mid-60s. Mame Dennis’BeekmanPlace and Fanny Brice’s Henry Street left thegroup and joined with Beulah Buskirk to formthe rival Awards Club (which lasted until 1988).The Awards Club mounted its own contests,awarding the Emmy to its winners and staged theannual Miss Gaye America (DC) pageant.Taylor’s group started the Miss Gaye Universepageant in 1965, with winners selected by leadersof the group rather than by judges.

As the gay community emerged in the 70s, clubowners saw audiences and profits in drag showswhich were cheap to present (performers provid-ed their own costumes, sets, and music). For per-formers, the explosion in drag clubs offered notonly more chances to perform and earn tips butalso new training grounds.

In 1973, club owner Bill Oates Jr. brokered cre-ation of The Academy, a reconciliation of theHenry Street and Beekman Place houses withmembers of Liz Taylor’s group.

The new Academy, head-ed by Mame Dennis, led amajor expansion in clubshows and public visibilityfor female impersonators inthe 1970s. The Academyhas had as many as twelvedrag houses and Academymembers hosted shows andtrained newcomers in clubsacross the city. The annual

Showstoppers productions produced by FannyBrice and her Henry Street house brought profes-sional drag performances to an audience farbeyond the gay community.

Today’s club scene offers distinct ethnic cir-cuits: African-American, Latino, Asian, andwhite. The ethnic circuits overlap where clubsoffer a mix of all backgrounds. Performers areequally diverse in their styles and music with

THE RAINBOW HISTORY PROJECTcollects, preserves and promotes

the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgenderedhistory of metropolitan Washington, DC.

Donate to:Rainbow History Project

P.O. Box 11013Washington, DC 20008

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Design by Gina M. FarthingText & layout by Mark Meinke

drag shows hosted by Jymmye Jaymes, TerrieSantana, and others. The club also hosted severalpageants including Miss Capitol City.

22. 639 Pennsylvania Ave SE -LIFERAFT/ EQUUS/REMINGTON’S -The site has a long history as acountry-western gay bar featuringdrag performances. In the early 70s,the Liferaft presented Billie Gold’srevue show. Remington’s, whichopened in 1987, has consistently

presented drag shows with a country -western flavor. Headliners here

included Jymmye Jaymes, Blair Michaels, VitaOpulence, and Courtney Lovelace. Events atRemington’s have solidified drag’s association withthe Atlantic States Gay Rodeo.

23. 1129 Pennsylvania Ave SE - ELAN/ARDIENTE - A lesbian bar in the late 90s, Elan fea-tured midweek drag shows hosted by CourtneyLovelace and Michelle Michaels. Beginning in 2000,the Carrero sisters, Linda and Sophia, offered Latinodrag performers a performance site late Saturdaynight in the ground floor restaurant area.

24. 55K St SE -WAAAYOFFBROADWAY/CLUB 55 -The theatrespace man-aged byJesseKinisonand ownedby Donn Culver of the Lost and Found was closelyinvolved with the drag community. The board of thetheatre included the heads of major DC drag houses.The theatre opened with Cabaret featuring LainieKazan, directed by Mame Dennis. Academy eventswere held here until 1973 when Academy eventsmoved to Oscar’s Eye (see no.18). For several years,this was the gay theatre in DC. The site later becameClub 55, to which Academy events returned in 1993.

25. 1345 Half St SE - OTHERSIDE/ ZIEGFELD’S -Since 1978, this address has been the top spot for dragin DC. The Other Side, a women’s bar that opened in1978, brought regularly scheduled drag shows here. EllaFitzgerald, demanding shaper of shows and talents,started here on July 4, 1980. Ziegfeld’s, a landmark inDC’s drag performance scene, opened in March 1988,with Ella Fitzgerald managing the shows. Ziegfeld’sdraws large audiences of all genders and orientations toits popular weekend shows, where Ella tells guests to“talk to the drag queen.” The club serves also as one ofthe city’s main pageant sites.

26. 555 S 23rd St,Crystal City, VA -FREDDIE’S - Freddie’sdefines Northern Virginia’sdrag scene, especiallycountry-western style dragperformances. Academymembers Jymmye Jaymesand Destiny B Childs hostpopular Sunday eveningshows as well as charity

benefits. Freddie’s dragshows often play to stand-

ing-room-only audiences. The club is heir to earlier dragshows at the Hunt Club in Alexandria.

Liz Taylor, 1985courtesy Carl Rizzi

Beulah Buskirk, 2004courtesy Patsy Lynch

Mame Dennis , 1975courtesy Carl Rizzi

Fanny Bricecourtesy Carl Rizzi

Destiny, Jymmye & guestcourtesy Cheryl Spector

courtesy Carl Rizzi

Ella at Ziegfeld'scourtesy Donnell Robinson

Courtney Lovelacecourtesy Sam

DCis a

cityof drag queensand kings.

Washington has long featured professional illu-sionists. The Crystal (later Bohemian) Cavernsfeatured top local performers such as Louis “TheMagnificent” Diggs in the 40s and 50s. TheRedskin Lounge (nicknamed ’The Foreskin’) onL St. featured the irrepressible Ray Bourbon inthe mid-50s. The Jewel Box Review played theCasino Royale and the Dunbar theaters bringingLynne Carter and male impersonator Stormé deLaviere to local audiences in the 50s and 60s.Bob’s Inn, across from the Tivoli in the late 60s,featured impersonators Peaches and AvisPend’avis. National stars Craig Russell, DameEdna, RuPaul and others followed.

White’s greatest achievement was to break themajor hotels’ ban on drag. In February 1968, BlackPearl staged the Black Pearl International Awards atthe Washington Hilton. It was the drag event of theyear.

The modern drag trainingsystem emerged in the 60sas leading drag artistsbecame ‘mothers’ to thosewanting to learn the art ofillusion. Emerging leadersin the mid-60s includedCarl Rizzi, a.k.a. MameDennis, and Alex Carlino,

An acrimonious split hit Kress’s Academiesgroup in the mid-60s. Mame Dennis’ BeekmanPlace and Fanny Brice’s Henry Street left thegroup and joined with Beulah Buskirk to formthe rival Awards Club (which lasted until 1988).The Awards Club mounted its own contests,awarding the Emmy to its winners and staged theannual Miss Gaye America (DC) pageant.Taylor’s group started the Miss Gaye Universepageant in 1965, with winners selected by leadersof the group rather than by judges.

[email protected]

22. 639 Pennsylvania Ave SE -LIFERAFT/ EQUUS/REMINGTON’S-The site has a long history as acountry-western gay bar featuringdrag performances. In the early 70s,the Liferaft presented Billie Gold’srevue show. Remington’s, whichopened in 1987, has consistently

23. 1129 Pennsylvania Ave SE - ELAN/ARDIENTE- Alesbian bar in the late 90s, Elan fea-tured midweek drag shows hosted by CourtneyLovelace and Michelle Michaels. Beginning in 2000,the Carrero sisters, Linda and Sophia, offered Latinodrag performers a performance site late Saturdaynight in the ground floor restaurant area.

24. 55K St SE -WAAAYOFFBROADWAY/CLUB55-The theatrespace man-aged byJesseKinisonand ownedby Donn Culver of the Lost and Found was closelyinvolved with the drag community. The board of thetheatre included the heads of major DC drag houses.The theatre opened with Cabaretfeaturing LainieKazan, directed by Mame Dennis. Academy eventswere held here until 1973 when Academy eventsmoved to Oscar’s Eye (see no.18). For several years,this was thegay theatre in DC. The site later becameClub 55, to which Academy events returned in 1993.

25. 1345 Half St SE - OTHERSIDE/ ZIEGFELD’S-Since 1978, this address has been the top spot for dragin DC. The Other Side, a women’s bar that opened in1978, brought regularly scheduled drag shows here. EllaFitzgerald, demanding shaper of shows and talents,started here on July 4, 1980. Ziegfeld’s, a landmark inDC’s drag performance scene, opened in March 1988,with Ella Fitzgerald managing the shows. Ziegfeld’sdraws large audiences of all genders and orientations toits popular weekend shows, where Ella tells guests to“talk to the drag queen.” The club serves also as one ofthe city’s main pageant sites.

26. 555 S 23rd St,Crystal City, VA-FREDDIE’S- Freddie’sdefines Northern Virginia’sdrag scene, especiallycountry-western style dragperformances. Academymembers Jymmye Jaymesand Destiny B Childs hostpopular Sunday eveningshows as well as charity

Gay DC Tours

courtesy Carl Rizzi

DCis a

[email protected]

Gay DC Tours

courtesy Carl Rizzi

DCis a

[email protected]

Gay DC Tours

courtesy Carl Rizzi

some clubs featuring Latino sounds, country-western, pop music, hip-hop and rap. DC’s lead-ing drag performers are a unique ethnic mix.

Genderversity has alsocome to drag. In 1996, as afundraising effort, CherylSpector suggested that theLesbian Avengers hold DC’sfirst drag king competitionat the Hung Jury. The con-test was won by KendraKuliga, a.k.a. Drag King

Ken (later known as Ken Las Vegas). The PussN’Boots group was formed from the judges ofthat contest; they staged drag king shows from1997 to 1999. In October 1999, Chaos held itsfirst Drag King competition, produced by DragKing Ken. The DC Drag Kings formed in March2000 at the inauguration of Chaos’s monthlyDrag King Show. The drag king performancescene continues to expand as more and moredrag kings appear at the Academy and in theclubs.

Since the 70s, the city’s pageants have grownwith the emergence of club titles and city-widetitles. Washington, DC has contributed threenational title holders to the Miss Gay Americasystem: Maya Montana, Linda Carrero, andSabrina White. Miss Gay America, Miss BlackAmerica, Miss Universo Latino, Miss USofA,and Miss Continental have preliminaries here.

There is diversity in our titles as well. African-American andLatino pageantsystems haveemerged here.Most pageants are

judged and award contestants points for talent,evening gown, interview, and other categories.In 2000, 37 drag pageants were held inWashington, DC.

1. 1919 Connecticut Ave NW - WASHINGTON

HILTON - In February 1968, Black Pearl’sInternational Awards show was the drag event of theyear and broke the main hotels’ ban on drag events.

2. 1520 Connecticut Ave NW -RASCALS - From 1979 through 1992,Rascals was one of Dupont’s premierdrag show bars. Under the leadership ofSparkle Maharis, the club’s drag showsand amateur hours drew a wide audi-

ence. Sparkle’s amateur shows markedthe beginning of a number of prominentdrag careers.

3. 2122 P St NW - ESCANDALO/DECO CABANA -Latino drag often suffered a shortage of venues.Escandalo’s opening in February 1994 offered one ofthe first regular performance sites for Latino drag per-formers. Shows drew enthusiastic crowds. DecoCabana followed Escandalo in 1998 with shows hostedby Xavier Bloomingdale that showcased talentedLatino drag performers.

4. 2122 P St NW rear -OMEGA - Omega emerged in 1999as the new home of Cobalt’s dragshow. As Monday night’s Diva LasVegas show, the Cobalt troupe tooka new identity and provided a sec-ond Dupont home for those begin-ning drag performance careers. Thepopular show was led for manyyears by ‘sex kitten’ JC van Raineand Dominique Foxx.

5. 1415 22nd St NW - BADLANDS/APEX - Thoughnot a drag performance club, Badlands hosted a num-ber of drag pageants, most regularly the annual MissCapital Pride contest. Badlands opened in the early80s and was run for several years by Don Gilliken,a.k.a. Sophie Tucker, a member of the Awards Club.Badlands changed its name to Apex in 2002. The MissGay DC America pageant recently moved to Apex.

6. 2147 P St Nw - Mr. P’s - For decades, the tinystage in Mr. P’s inner room served as one of Dupont’s

top venues for drag and asan important trainingground and performancespace for up and comingfemale impersonators. Theclub was also an importantintersection of Latin,white, and African-American performancecircles. Show hostessesErica Kane and XavierBloomingdale introduceda host of entertainers to

eager audiences four nights a week. The lastshow hostess was Stevi Starfire. Among featuredartists were Dominique Foxx, CapriBloomingdale, Gigi Couture, Gucci Goddamnit,Esmeralda Kane Jaymes, and Teena MarieCromwell.

7. 1607 17th St NW -CLUB CHAOS - As one of DC’smost diverse gay clubs, Chaoshas presented drag shows sinceopening in 1998 and has beenever-willing to experiment. Theclub was the first to offer regu-larly scheduled drag king showsand has been one of the longestrunning venues for the Latinodrag scene. Its Saturday eveningdrag shows are standing-room only. Showhostesses have included Jordan Taylor, the TwoTons of Fun: Lena Lett and Leona Hemsley,Ester Goldberg, Xavier Bloomingdale, ReginaJoezette, and Gigi Couture.

8. 1529 17th St NW - JR’S - JR’s is notedfor originating the annual Halloween high heeldrag races. Twenty-five contestants entered thefirst high heel drag race held outside JR’s onHalloween 1986. The midnight dash went oneand a half blocks to Annie’s where the racers ranupstairs for a shot of schnapps, then down thestairs and back down the street to JR’s. ClintonWinter won the race and a bottle of champagne.

the restrooms and bar at The Barn. LainieKazan, of the Academy, directed shows whichfeatured Marlo Thomas, Susan St. James, GwenAlexander, and Tina Santana. Diva EllaFitzgerald performed here from 1980 to 1983.From 1973, the Academy met at Oscar’s Eye(named by Fanny Brice) on the third floor.

19. 500 8th St SE -JOHNNIE’S/CLUB MADAME/BACHELOR’S MILL - Since1949, this building hasbeen one gay-oriented clubafter another. As Johnnie’s(1949 - 1974), it heldmonthly Zodiac drag con-tests. Johnnie’s, known asthe Tinsel Palace, was dec-orated for Christmas yearround. Johnnie’s dragevents were run by Ray

‘Ramona’ Violette. In 1974, BB Gatch and hermother Louisette, opened a women’s club, ClubMadame, which featured weekend drag shows.In 1978, the club, still owned by BB, became agay male-oriented club The Bachelor’s Millwhich featuring prominent drag artists includingDana Terrell. In 1984 The Bachelor’s Millmoved down the street to 1104 8t St SE. At thenew location, the Mill continued to offer a stagefor African-American drag entertainers such asLady Tawana, Tina Tuna Adams, ArcadiaAlexander, and Tanelle Sanchez, as well as a sitefor drag pageants.

20. 529 8th St SE - PLUS ONE - One of thefirst major gay disco bars, the Plus One (1968 -1975) also featured drag shows. Ella Fitzgeraldstarted out at the Plus One in the mid-70s, wherean early performance name was Fanny Brice.She recalls auditioning on a Tuesday, performing“Touch Me in the Morning”.

21. 713 8th St SE - SHERIDAN’S - From1999, Sandy Thompson’s country-western cluboffered midweek drag bingo nights and weekend

9. 1846 Monroe St NW - HOLLYWOOD HOUSE- One of the homes of Liz Taylor, founder of theAcademies, Hollywood House became a regularsalon for female impersonators associated withTaylor and, later, the Academy. Taylor subsequentlyformed Butterfield 8, his own drag house among theAcademy’s houses.

10. 2504 14th St NW - GOLDEN NUGGET -Destroyed by fire in April 1968, Rosetta Minor’s‘Black’ Nugget, as the club was known, was a havenfor African-American female impersonators and thetransgendered. Though rough and wild at times, itwas one of the few welcoming places for drag andtransgendered youth.

11. 3316 14th St NW - BOB’S INN - A popular60s venue for rock and roll, the club also featureddrag shows. Shows were headlined by Dunbar grad-uate Avis Pend’avis and Peaches. Avis moved toNew York City and founded the House of Pend’avis.The club was destroyed by fire in April 1968.

12. 1101 Kenyon St NW - NOB HILL - NobHill’s drag shows featured many ofthe city’s leading African-American female impersonatorsover the years. AdrienneBlackwell performed and ledshows here through the 1990s.Other noted performers have beenStevi Starfire, Terri Lee Ross,Dominique Foxx, ArcadiaAlexander, Gucci Blackwell, LadyLace, and Regina Joezette. Dragshows ran Thursday throughSunday.

13. 4211 9th St NW - PALM BALLROOM - Inthe 60s and 70s, the Palm Ballroom provided avenue for drag fashion and drag balls, African-American social clubs and was also used by theAwards Club. During segregation, the Palm and theCairo Hotel welcomed African-Americans.

14. 811-13 13th St NW - THE BRASS RAIL - Inthe 70s and 80s, the Brass Rail was one of the pre-

mier venues forAfrican-Americanfemale impersonators.Among leading per-formers here wereBarbara MacNair,whose Moms Mableyimpersonation and fire

dances were very popu-lar. The Railettes, the club’s troupe of drag performersperformed all around the city. The club moved to 5th &K St. NW in 1983.

15. 1215 New York Ave NW - DOLLY’S -Dolly’swas a major part of the gay and drag scene around thebus terminals east of Franklin Sq. The club employedstaff in drag and featured local stars such as BarbaraMacNair. An August 1975 Washingtonian article chron-icled the scene at Dolly’s. The bartender was RhondaRay and the bouncer was Alicia B. Gay, both dragqueens.

16. 1628 L St NW - REDSKIN LOUNGE - Throughthe mid-50s, the Redskin Lounge was a mixed lesbianand gay male hangout. Redskin’s featured occasionaldrag performers, including nationally known femaleimpersonator Ray Bourbon.

17. 1239 9th St NW -FANTASIES - The club onlylasted about a year and a halfin the mid-80s but featuredextravagant drag shows andmemorable parties. Shows

featured Kim Novak, Brandy Dover, and Lala Maharis.

18. 811 Pennsylvania Ave NW/309 9th St NW -THE BARN, OSCAR’S EYE & THE ROGUE - The com-plex at this location, a stack of gay clubs from the mid-60s, became notable for its drag connections in the 70s.The Hideaway was in the basement. Louie’s (opened1965) was on the ground floor. Above Louie’s was TheBarn (1971-1979), a country-western club which fea-tured the Stardust Review drag show. Above Louie’sdining room, next to the Barn, was The Rogue, one ofDC’s principal drag bars from 1975 to 1983 (when itmoved to 5th & K NW). Customers at The Rogue used

Barbara Macnair at the Brass Railcourtesy of Andre Lindsay

Dominique Foxxcourtesy Mama Foxx

Ken Las Vegascourtesy Patsy Lynch

Gigi Couture, 1999courtesy Jan Knode

Stevi on stage,Xavier hosting

courtesy Jan Knode

Sparkle, 1975courtesy Carl Rizzi

courtesy www.missgayamerica.com and www.missgaydc.com

Dana Terrellcourtesy Andre Lindsay

Adriennecourtesy Jan Knode

courtesy Jan Knode

DC is acity

[email protected]

courtesy Carl Rizzi

DC is acity

[email protected]

courtesy Carl Rizzi

Gay DC Tou - Rainbow History Project · Ella Fitzgerald, demanding shaper of shows and talents,...

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