Pride Month 2023: Drag performers who made ‘herstory’

Now that the centuries-old art of drag has become a preferred target in the current culture warfare, we chose to dedicate this year’s annual NBC Out Pride 30 list to the performers who have put this art form on the map.
From a formerly enslaved person who first donned drag in the late 1800s to the stars of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” this performance art — typically characterized by gender impersonation and exaggerated forms of gender expression — has a long and lasting legacy. It also has undeniably strong ties to the LGBTQ community, with the lion’s share of drag queens and kings identifying as part of the community.