By Debbie Hall
Additional Content By Walton Wong as written on amoderngaysguide.com/international-drag-day
International Drag Day is an annual event held on July 16 created to celebrate the drag culture around the world and to give it more exposure, highlighting its transition from marginalized to mainstream.
The art form that is drag can be traced back to William Dorsey Swann (a.k.a. the first Drag Queen, or, as he liked to call himself, “The Queen Of Drag”), a freed slave that hosted balls in the 1880s and 1990s, where formally enslaved men would dress in satin and silk dresses and dance the night away. In Shakespearean days, women weren’t allowed to act in plays, and so men had to assume the roles of women.
Before shows including “We’re Here,” “Dragula” “Dragnificent” and the Emmy award-winning “Rupaul’s Drag Race” and its many spin-offs were ruling the airways, the art form of drag was a somewhat well-tucked (pun absolutely intended) secret within the LGBTIQ+ community that was often underappreciated with Drag Kings and Queens rarely celebrated.
Noticing this lack of appreciation, Adam Stewart founded International Drag Day in 2009. On this day, on every gay scene worldwide, we take the opportunity to celebrate and thank the Drag artists who contribute so much to gay life and culture.
We are very grateful to Jimmy Emerson, who demonstrates the art of drag and is an engaging host and performer. Thank you for bringing so many smiles to so many faces.
Happy International Drag Day. Visit internationaldragday.com