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Remembering Gladys Bentley
Writer Casira Copes reminds us of the Renaissance’s most famous lesbian entertainer
When I asked writers to submit hidden history for publication at the anti-racism blog Momentum, I wasn’t prepared for the sheer breadth and depth of what writers submitted. Casira Copes sent over this fantastic story about Gladys Bentley, who I absolutely need to learn more about. Bentley embraced herself and tried to be free at a time when it was rare to be free. Copes even writes of Bentley’s letter to Ebony magazine, addressing why and how she dressed.
What a long way we have come since then.
Copes, in part, writes:
A regular fixture at hot spots like the Clam House and Ubangi Club, her typical performance attire was a tuxedo and top hat, and she occasionally went by the name Bobbie Minton. A salacious flirt, “she was known for taking popular songs and giving them lewd lyrics,” often asking female audience members to help her improvise naughty lines. I was amazed and overjoyed to think of an openly queer woman enjoying success and praise in the public spotlight in 1920s and ’30s New York. I had assumed that kind of acceptance was unheard of in those times.
The story is worth your read.
