Gladys Bentley (1907 - 1960)
American blues singer and pianist;
achieved her greatest fame as an openly lesbian crossdressed entertainer
in gay New York speakeasies during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s;
during the repressive McCarthy Era of the 1950s, she recanted her
gay identity, wore dresses and apparently wed a man although
her alleged husband denied the marriage.
What a life she lived. And she sure could sing. A rare talent.
ReplyDeleteWay ahead of her time, and the forced into silence.
ReplyDeleteWhat a legend. It must have been so hard to live one's authentic life back then. Sure hope we don't return to those days...
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