This page provides research strategies and a selection of recommended resources related to drag and gender performance.
Newspapers are one of the earliest resources for finding information related to drag and gender bending. In the United States, black newspapers began publishing this information years before more mainstream outlets.
Browse the Library of Congress Online Catalog to find materials on early gender non-conforming people, drag queens, femme mimics, cross-dressers, male impersonators using the subject headings listed below:
The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are provided when available.
The art of female impersonation : reveals the secrets of how men become female impersonators : illustrated with 32 photos of males in feminine clothes. by Drag! Male and Female Impersonators on Stage, Screen and Television by F. Michael Moore by Venus Castina : Famous Female Impersonators, Celestial and Human by The Female-Impersonators: A Sequel to the Autobiography of an Androgyne and an Account of Some of the Author's Experiences During his Six Years' Career as instinctive Female-Impersonator in New York's Underworld ... by The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are provided when available.
Legendary by 
The Drag Queen Anthology by 
Drag by 
Drag Queens at the 801 Cabaret by 
The Drag Queens of New York by 
A Pictorial History of the Art of Female Impersonation by The subscription resources marked with a padlock 
are available to researchers on-site at the Library of Congress. If you are unable to visit the Library, you may be able to access these resources through your local public or academic library.
