The Wild Wild West & Queen Swan

This Week on Wonderlust:

Welcome back, Wonderers! And Happy Pride! In today’s episode, we celebrate pride by diving into Queer History and True Crime! Sarah talks about the gender nonconformists of the Wild West, and Emily teaches us about William Dorsey Swan, a former slave and the very first drag queen.

To start us off, Sarah tells us the life story of Mr. Harry Allen, one of the most notorious men of the Wild West in the 1800’s. He was a known ‘rabble-rouser’ who found himself in and out of trouble with the law, but mainly made headlines for being asserting his gender identity as a man. Next up isthe story of Bert Martin, who was arrested in Nebraska for stealing a horse. After 11 months in jail, Bert was outted for ‘not being a real man’ and treated horrifically by the press and Nebraska governor at the time.

Interestingly enough, Emily’s story about William Dorsey Swann also dates back to the 1800’s! William Dorsey Swann was born in Maryland in 1858, and survived slavery, the Civil War, racism and countless other hardships. However, this inspirational man grew up to be one of the first Americans to actively fight for queer rights. He also was the first man to call himself a ‘Queen of Drag’.

The Mystic Sisters also kick off a new segment of ‘Or are you normal?’ where we entertain everyone with weird tidbits about our lives. Like do you keep your shoes on in the house to make sure you stay productive or are you normal? And we are looking for submissions! So if you have any you’d like to share, please reach out to us on social email or email listed below!

Thanks so much for listening to our rambles & wonderings! If you like what you hear, please take a moment to rate & subscribe. Also be sure to keep an eye out for us on social media!

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