The Female Impersonators of Indiana Avenue: Race, Sexuality, Gender Expression and the Black Entertainment Industry

Abstract

On Indiana Avenue, the female impersonators performed in the theaters, clubs and saloons dominated by jazz legends who were born in Indianapolis and others from around the country. Despite the appearance of female impersonator shows, the historical printed record created by Black newspapers in Indianapolis was largely silent from 1911 until 1933. This silence may be due to missing issues of the Indianapolis Recorder from 1917 to 1925. Historians state that the “Pansy Craze” swept the nation in the 1920s. After 1933, openly gay Black men controlled the Avenue’s drag scene. By the 1960s, performers wore women’s clothing in public even when they were not on stage. How we record these performers and their gender identity is an imperfect historical effort since queer themes are largely underrepresented in local archives and historical writings. Given the option, performers may have identified as transgender in today’s terminology.