Even while they were in a dire financial situation, her family roamed her back and forth to doctors to “cure” her when she was a child. They thought they could medicate the queer out of her. But Gladys Bentley knew who she was.
Bentley left her family and home in Philadelphia at 16 and ran away to New York. She may have been young, but there were two undeniable truths about her: she was talented and comfortable with her sexuality.
Bentley spent the Harlem Renaissance playing the hottest clubs and establishments all across New York. Donning a signature white tuxedo, she put on performances dressed as a man. She openly flirted with women throughout her act, changing the lyrics of well-known songs and lacing them with sexual innuendo.
Bentley’s career lasted over 20 years. However, by the tail end of the 1930s, after “marrying” her long-time love and moving to Los Angeles, Bentley felt the pressure of religious leaders and anti-LGBTQ movements. She declared, “I am a woman again” to quell the masses.
Gladys Bentley was an exceptional and pioneering Black queer person who is often overlooked in the zeitgeist of Black queer history. Bentley embraced everything about who she was, regardless of what others believed and perceived. We need to embrace every aspect of who we are, too.