Channing Gerard Joseph

Names like Bayard Rustin, Frances Thompson and William Dorsey Swann have been largely erased from U.S. 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 -- a professor of journalism at Princeton University -- shares the little-known stories of early Black LBGTQ+ Americans, connecting the origins of drag in the 1880s to the present day and exploring the awesome power to choose how we define ourselves. Using captivating storytelling and song, Prof. Joseph reveals the origins of queer drag and ballroom culture in repressive 1880s America, connecting these early acts of defiance and creativity to today’s ongoing struggles for self-expression and equality. This talk celebrates the extraordinary power of marginalized voices to shape mainstream culture, define identity, and challenge systems of oppression, offering audiences a profound new lens to view history—and themselves.

Attendee Results:

• Discover the surprising connections between the history of African American Emancipation, modern drag culture, and LGBTQ+ activism.
• Hear the fascinating stories of Black LGBTQ+ historical figures who played crucial but forgotten roles in shaping US history.
• Understand the origins of contemporary LGBTQ+ identity and learn how ideas of gender and sexuality have evolved over the last two centuries.
• Develop lingering curiosity about the ways that history has often been manipulated to erase the stories of marginalized groups.