Ideas worth spreading

How Black queer culture shaped history

801,511 views | Channing Gerard Joseph • TED2022

Names like Bayard Rustin, Frances Thompson and William Dorsey Swann have been largely erased from US history, but they and other Black queer leaders played central roles in monumental movements like emancipation, civil rights and LGBTQ+ pride, among others. In this tribute to forgotten icons, queer culture historian and TED Fellow Channing Gerard Joseph shares their little-known stories, connecting the origins of drag in the 1880s to the present day and exploring the awesome power to choose how we define ourselves.

Names like Bayard Rustin, Frances Thompson and William Dorsey Swann have been largely erased from US history, but they and other Black queer leaders played central roles in monumental movements like emancipation, civil rights and LGBTQ+ pride, among others. In this tribute to forgotten icons, queer culture historian and TED Fellow Channing Gerard Joseph shares their little-known stories, connecting the origins of drag in the 1880s to the present day and exploring the awesome power to choose how we define ourselves.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Channing Gerard Joseph

Queer culture historian

See speaker profile

TED Fellow Channing Gerard Joseph is a queer culture historian.

Channing Gerard Joseph | The Nation, 2020 | Article

"The First Drag Queen Was a Former Slave"

Joseph describes his discovery of William Dorsey Swann, the world’s first drag queen and earliest-known American queer activist. He then explains the significance of Swann’s remarkable life in U.S. history.

Channing Gerard Joseph | Oxford African American Studies Center, 2023 | Article

"Swann, William Dorsey"

Joseph provides the first peer-reviewed encyclopedia entry on William Dorsey Swann, describing Swann’s life from birth to death, and explaining his influence on contemporary culture.

Alva French and Dan John | BBC, 2020 | Watch

"How a former slave became the world's first drag queen"

Alva French and Dan John of the BBC give Joseph a platform to discuss Swann’s life while showcasing the significance of Swann’s life and activism for a contemporary drag queen.

Netisha Currie | Rediscovering Black History, National Archives, 2020 | Article

"William Dorsey Swann, the Queen of Drag"

Inspired by Joseph’s work, Netisha Currie, an archivist at the U.S. National Archives, makes public several documents from William Dorsey Swann’s presidential pardon files.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.