Description

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Their greatest act of resistance was simply existing.

Drags, fags and trans-women were attracted to the Big Apple because they were able to find work as impersonators in a small number of Lower East Side clubs.

Decades before Stonewall, they occupied the margins of society, determined to live as they pleased, despite of the attentions of the police. Sometimes reduced to stealing to get their costumes, these girls were unstoppable, fearless and fabulous.
 
When a cache of their letters were discovered, these individuals were given a voice where they had traditionally been silenced. The letters they wrote bear witness to a time when gay community was hard to find.
 
Blending social, political and cultural history with memoir, this book is an unforgettable and deeply moving encounter with a generation of incredible survivors and a necessary account of how modern drag culture was born.

About the Author

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Craig Olsen is an entrepreneur who has worked across art, podcasting, production and interior design. A graduate from Cornish College of the Arts with a BFA in Theatre, Craig can be seen on film as well as numerous network and cable television series, most notably in drag. Craig currently sits as Chairman of the Board for Los Angeles' premier contemporary ballet company Barak Ballet and is a trustee of the Edward F. Limato Foundation. After discovering a cache of personal letters by prominent drag performers in 1950s New York City, Mr. Olsen embarked on what has now become a lifelong journey to preserve and illuminate the courage of those that have set the stage for the current success of the LGBTQ+ community. Craig is directing his future focus toward preserving gay history.

Praise For…

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"This charming account combines the poignancy of a coming-of-age narrative, the mordant humor of a gossip column, and the rigor of an archival investigation. It’s an essential window into a long-hidden history."—Publishers Weekly Starred Review