an opportunity to express and enjoy themselves. Out of sight of the law, gay men felt free to be themselves in the underground Prohibition scene and felt free to dress as drag queens as well.
cracked down on those gay bars. In response, the drag scene moved in a sense underground. The gay community continued to flourish despite the fact that it was illegal for them to be served alcohol in bars, or even to dance together. The State Liquor Authority and the New York Police Department regularly raided bars that catered to gay patrons.
The increasing popularity of speakeasies where drag was welcomed during Prohibition became known as “the Pansy Craze.” But even long after Prohibition ended, the gay bars that featured drag during this time continued to operate well into the 1950s and 60s. Meanwhile, broader culture continued to criminalize gay culture and police
Oddly enough, it would be the New York mafia, and the Genovese family in particular, who would covertly give the drag queens and gay community an outlet. In 1966, a member of the Genovese crime family purchased the Stonewall
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