Dupont Circle’s Advisory Neighborhood Commission has passed a resolution to rededicate Swann Street in honor of LGBTQ+ activist, William Dorsey Swann. The street is currently named after Thomas Swann, the 33rd governor of Maryland and a slave owner. Born into slavery in 1858, William Dorsey Swann was emancipated as a small child. His parents were able to purchase a farm following the Civil War, and he had a dozen siblings. During the 1880s and 1890s, the self proclaimed “Queen of Drag” organized many queer balls in Washington, D.C. His growing drag group, named the “House of Swann”, consisted primarily of formerly enslaved men. Swann and his fellow Queens were arrested many times following regular police raids. He was the first person to be arrested for female impersonation in the United States, and on his 30th birthday, was arrested in what the Washington Post described as “a gorgeous dress of cream-colored satin”. Swann famously resisted arrest, resulting in one of the earliest instances of violent resistance in the fight for gay rights. While no known photos of Swann exist today, some photos of his contemporaries still survive, including this collection from the vaudeville duo, Gregory & Brown. We congratulate ANC2B on this important initiative celebrating DC’s trailblazing black queer community, and ask that DC Council honor their request to introduce a bill to rededicate Swann street. To read the full resolution, visit DuPontCircleANC.net #washingtondc #queerhistory #lgbtq #dragqueen #lgbt #blackhistory #gay #instagay #blackexcellence #drag #dc