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Chicago activist’s presidential run as Joan Jett Blakk reaches the stage
During the Aids crisis, Chicago activist Terence Alan Smith campaigned for president as Joan Jett Blakk, becoming the first Black drag queen presidential candidate. His run did not progress electorally, but he reached the Democratic National Convention by entering Madison Square Garden as Smith and changing into Blakk inside. A new off-Broadway play, *Ms Blakk for President*, brings his life and activism to the stage, helping restore an overlooked story to queer history.
The play was created by director Tina Landau and writer Tarell Alvin McCraney, who found Smith after learning about him in a book on Chicago LGBTQ+ history. By then living in San Francisco and sometimes staying with friends, Smith shared his experiences with Landau in an extended interview. His campaign, run with activist group Queer Nation, used drag as political performance and called for redirecting military spending to education and healthcare, returning land to Indigenous people, and sweeping change in the White House.
In short
- Terence Alan Smith campaigned as Joan Jett Blakk during the Aids crisis.
- Blakk reached the Democratic National Convention, though the campaign did not advance.
- A new play revisits his drag activism and overlooked place in queer history.
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by The Guardian as “‘A hero’s origins’: the true story of the first drag queen presidential candidate”.