Dictionary of Sydney

Mug shot of Neville McQuade (18) and Lewis Stanley Keith (19), North Sydney Police Station, early June 1942, from the Justice & Police Museum Collection, Historic Houses Trust of NSW Rec: 31234

At this time of year in Sydney, dressing up is high on the agenda for a lot of Sydneysiders, who are working out what to wear in the Mardi Gras parade, or to the various parties and events.

But the story of drag in Sydney goes back a lot further than Mardi Gras, and illuminates a history of gender-role policing, persecution, resistance and fabulous frocks that dates back to convict days.

Garry Wotherspoon‘s article on Drag and cross dressing in Sydney outlines this fascinating story, with multimedia that ranges from a Sidney Nolan painting to mugshots and newspaper clippings, as well as oral history about Sydney’s drag venues.