The fabulous and fraught birth of modern drag, in the queens' own word With an introduction from RuPaul's Drag Race winner Sasha Velour. Their greatest act of resistance was simply existing In 1950s New York, a group of drag pioneers found work in a small number of Lower East Side clubs. They occupied the margins of society, determined to live authentically, despite the attentions of the police. These girls were unstoppable, fearless and fabulous, but their very existence was deemed a criminal threat to society. When a secret cache of their letters was discovered in 2014, these individuals were given a voice for the first time. The letters reveal personal triumphs and tragedies, and a fascinating world that has rarely been documented. Expertly weaving social, political and cultural history, Craig Olsen illuminates the lives and loves of our exceptional LGBTQ+ forebears. P.S. Burn This Letter Please is the ground-breaking result: a deeply moving encounter with a generation of survivors, and a necessary account of how modern drag culture was born.
