Queens at Heart (1967)
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- čas přidán 8. 06. 2021
- This short pseudo-documentary offers a rare look at trans life and drag ball culture in mid-1960s New York. The long-obscure film was rediscovered by LGBTQ historian and archivist Jenni Olson in the mid-1990s and restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive in 2009 as part of the Outfest UCLA Legacy Project.
Jenni Olson: “‘Queens at Heart’ was a film that had been essentially lost to us-with nothing written about it in LGBTQ film literature. I've unearthed many rare films over the years but ‘Queens at Heart’ is the most significant on every level. As a glimpse at pre-Stonewall queer life, it is truly remarkable. I especially love that it features rare footage of a drag ball, and includes the joyful depiction of gay men-gay men of color-dancing together.
Most compelling though are the interviews. Misty, Vicky, Sonja and Simone are four courageous trans women who candidly discuss their personal lives with a lurid, straight cis male interviewer who claims to have spoken to ‘thousands of homosexuals’ (and who clearly doesn’t understand the difference between sexual orientation and gender identity).
While the interviewer’s creepy, inappropriate questioning is often hard to stomach, the women successfully transcend his tone and come across with an incredible sense of dignity and candor. They talk about their double-lives: going out as women at night but living as men during the day, and about how they take hormones and dream of ‘going for a change.’ One talks about avoiding the draft, another about her fiancé, and another about the torment of childhood as an effeminate youth. Their honesty and vulnerability are truly a gift.”
Read Olson’s essay on our website: ucla.in/3g56onM
Learn more about the Outfest UCLA Legacy Project for LGBTQ Moving Image Preservation: ucla.in/2Leiitq
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For licensing queries regarding this footage, please email our Motion Picture Office at movies@cinema.ucla.edu - Krátké a kreslené filmy
They were so patient and polite answering intrusive questions.
Exactly. Answering very intrusive questions. They answered with such manners and had very sweet personalities. I would've walked out of the interview😅
The shoulders we stand on. What they had to endure, like this interview. Respect.
It helps to revisit.
"You're one of the more taller drag queens around.
Oh, but I'm one of the more beautiful ones, darling."
queen shit
Ladies through and through lol
Through 21st century eyes the interviewer and his questions may come off as intrusive or offensive, but for 1967, I actually think he's doing his best as a "square" to understand his guests and trans life, and perhaps educate his mainstream audience.
Based on his questions, it was a good thing that the interviewer kept both of his hands on the desk.
i love seeing trans history. we were always forced into the shadows, having our lives obscured from the future - getting to see trans people from the past shows us how far we've come.
i often see the baffling claim that being trans was "invented" in 2017 when it became a trend on tiktok, or earlier in 2014 because of tumblr, or in 2007 because of reality TV or some other nonsense. But the reality is that we've always been around. and for christ's sake, some of our most famous WW2 veterans were trans too! and sometimes it takes diving into historical documentation like this (yes even a 1967 exploitation film made by chasers lol) to remind myself of things like that. so glad this is up on the internet
@@bogmanhimself4656 god i hate when transphobes hit you with the "but being trans wasnt a thing back in the day". trans people have existed since at least ancient egypt (although it almost certainly has been since humans first came about), our history was just mostly erased and ignored - with rare gems like this existing to remind us that our history is as rich as everyone elses!
@@annaarkless5822 way back in Biblical times. Genesis 19:1-29. Sodom's Depravity. Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed.
What part of "each one of these contestants is a man" don't you understand? They were gay men this is a drag show. Drag is gay culture. Stop the trans lies. Stop appropriating gay history. #transwashing
@@annaarkless5822 #transwashing
What an incredible piece of history. I hope those women got the happiness they deserved. Thank you for uploading this.
why are thankful they uploaded this?
@@ayootaee why do think so Tae?
Everyone is gay gay gay
They are not women they are men!!!
These women were pioneers and deserve the credit for making a way for people like Ru Paul.
Vicky is beautiful both inside and out. Vulnerable, good hearted and so honest (considering this is essentially an exploitation movie). I really hope life went well for her. She couldn't pass for a guy even when she tried. All woman, and the producers seemed to recognise this and state so. Sonia too.
I completely agree!🙂👍
Why the thumbs down 🤔 I hope someone didn't take issue with the mixed up definitions of what it is to be trans. These girls are girls, not drag queens. The language was evolving at this time and will seem clunky compared with now, that's history. Plus, this is an exploitation movie, not a serious documentary, albeit, not that bad given the times. Knowing the history of the trans movement is important.
He's saying they are homosexuals to their faces all the time. That made me feel uneasy.
They admit themselves that they are gay males 🙄 Nothing about them reads as women.
@@angelo1962 That sounds flawed today, but perhaps he could not come up with a better term. After all, it was 1967. And those lovely girls did not correct him, either. Anyway, he seemed to me quite humane and understanding in his last statement: "Who are we to judge them"?
We have come a long way. Sadly not long enough. I hope all these ladies got everything they wanted from life. It would be interesting to see how their stories turned out.
Because all the MTF AGPs hijacked TRUE TRANSEXUALS and started coming for our children. Children can NOT consent and there are NO IRREVERSABLE drugs so every medical transition is PERMANENT.
We didn't go anywhere. 60 years later trans people are still getting hated
You mean these men
Love discovering archival footage on trans history. 1967 was truly not that long ago.
It feels long! I was born that year lol
I urgently need update of Vicki… i’m praying she had beautiful life she really deserved… all these people in video were fabulous and handsome. God bless their souls🙏🏻
Even without makeup, she was incredibly beautiful. I hope they all had (or have) happy lives, but especially Vicki. There's something incredibly fragile about her.
Thank you again for uploading and freely sharing this with us! Such an important slice of trans history despite the exploitative nature of the interviewing.
Thanks for sharing this on Twitter, Vanessa.
why is it an important slice of trans history?
@@ayootaee because people think trans people just popped up out of no where when we have always been here 😂
Vicky looked like a pretty girl even in her trousers and top. Her body was like a girl's too. I hope she found happiness indeed all of them did. Xxx
Haha yeah even when going through daily life dressed as a man, her femininity shines through. Hope she has lived/is living a happy life.
She was a pretty girl. Her body was a girl’s.
Probably died of AIDS.
It’s interesting how much drag and trans were somewhat synonymous or at least overlapping in these days. In more recent times they are considered distinct things. I think part of that may be the necessity to hide your transness for safety. Although these trans girls aren’t drag queens as we would think of them today, they used drag as a way to dress as they wanted to when they had to dress how society expected in their everyday life. Very interesting look into how times have changed.
Yeah while their inner experience was the same as it is for trans people now, they didn't have the same precise language and ideas on gender to express themselves and conceptualize their identity the same way. They understood that dressing as a woman for fun/show and and actually feeling like a woman is not the same, but drag definitely overlapped with trans people exploring their identity, and until they committed to hormones and surgery they were probably considered somewhat similar.
There's also another documentary, Paris is Burning, where you can see that even in the 80's the concepts of drag and transgender identity weren't as clearly distinct (if you've seen the tv-show Pose, it's based on that documentary)
The footage of everyone dancing is THE best!!!!!!
I remember being back in the 80's & some ladies from Le Girls were doing their show in a casino. I was a teenager & didn't know much about trans people, etc. I was in the womens loo & one of the ladies was doing her makeup & she smiled at me. I was blown away at how beautiful she was. I'm talking drop dead gorgeous. I would have loved to see the show but I was too young. 🙂♥️
I know exactly how they feel because I started at around the same time 1967 68th living my life as a boy and the daytime and a girl at night time now I am called a transgender then I was called a sissy boy I got on hormones and I've lived My Life as a woman ever since then I am very happy in my life all I have to say is live your life💜
i’m so glad you’re happy ❤️
I'm so happy for you. 😊❤
🙄
💕💕💕
I wonder if all the women interviewed did get to have their change? I certainly hope so, especially for Vicky.
Glad that I found this video. It was very nicely done and they all seemed shy and full of class.
Thank you for uploading this, I would never had chance to see it otherwise!
Fabulously liked, thanks for sharing this fabulous film
Those spoken words are so relateable to me and how I felt. What amazing content.❤
Grateful for this video. Thanks so much.
the questions this man is asking are crazy! I'm a 60's kid and remember this stuff. It's history!
This footage is amazing and so clear!
thanks for uploading this
Simone is soooo pretty....and quite charming too....
Very cute!
Thank you so much for the work restoring this. The restoration is gorgeous. Our trans elders' lives are so important to illuminate. The language they used was different, but their lived experience of themselves is not so different from today.
Also, I love how Vicky's "boy mode" looks like a lesbian more than any man.
I really hope it worked out for them all, and that they're happy
5:08 she's legendary whew... what a serious timelessness to some of these incredible costumes and Looks
SERIOUSLY i gasped at the beauty!
What is her name??
Thanks for posting.
People calling the interviewer "painful" fail to understand the comedy and theatrical value in his caught up rigid sounding straight man act. LOL!!! This footage is 100% historical GOLD.
Are you mad, groomer
@@pennyawful861 Stfu transphobe. Your time is ending, freedom is unstoppable.
@@pennyawful861we’re all mad bro.
@@pennyawful861 and rightfully so, boomer
These women are "boomers"
Sonia was so fish👏🏽🤭 i truly hope she led a fulfilling, authentic life!🩷💐
Amazing piece of history! It's really interesting to see people's points of view regarding the drag culture in the 60s. I wish we could know what happened with these beautiful girls! Too bad they seem a bit uncomfortable during the interview, especially Vicky...
PS: looooove her look 3:49
You'd be uncomfortable too if you were forced to sit on a tiny loveseat with three other full-grown adults!
I can imagine how fun and chic this was back in 1967. I am glad though, for the rights that so many fought and died for, for the LGTBQ community where one can hopefully, live more openly
I think only the show itself was fun and chic. Knowing you could only be yourself at night, after hours and fearing for your life doesn’t seem so fun!
Amazing program 👏👏👏👏😊😊😊😊
Very interesting video and thank you 🙏 for sharing
That apartment was so chic… everything comes back around
I’d love to know what happened to each of these women. If anyone has any information on them and where they ended up and how their lives ended up, I’d appreciate it!
You know...Sometimes its better not knowing!
To the best of my knowledge, none of the fates of these ladies are known. I did hear a rumor that one of them may have been in an early trans magazine, but I don’t recall where I heard (or possibly read) it.
Because they MIGHT wind up like Venus Extravaganza @@williammials6080
@@tmarsh666 When you say, "trans magazine", does that automatically mean, porn, or is that at least what you are saying?
@@alexkx8599 No, not at all. There were numerous LGBTQIA2S+ magazines during this time. One good example is ONE
They were all convincing and very beautiful way ahead of their time .
It’s amazes me that what people used to think and say about transgender people in the 1960s like holy carp 🙀🙀
WOW! What a remarkable find! This is long before the Stonewall riots of 1969 when I was there and saw it all. But these early days of gay young men who regular during the day and Queens at night. What a Joy to live your life today with the advent of Same-sex Marriage.
This was released in 1967, so not THAT long before Stonewall. But yeah we've come a long way since then. The recent backlash against trans people is very concerning though.
wow, you were at the stonewall riots? what do you think about the depictions you might’ve seen on tv/movies? what do you think young people should know about them?
I was born on the same day the Stonewall riots began.
Drag events provided trans girls with a safe place to be themselves at this time. America is still a fairly conservative country when it comes to matters of sexuality when compared with say Western Europe.
No entiendo el ingles
The condescending tone of the interviewer is so hurtful and offensive. These women are incredibly brave and dignified in the face of such horrible discrimination and abuse.
The tone of the interviewer is FUNNY and GOOFY ! LOL.
You need to relax honey. This was a 1967! There was no such thing it was the beginning and I think that he was pretty damn brave to take on this interview. I think that he treated them with respect he must’ve been sweating and super nervous, he had to put on an air for the cameras didn’t they? 🤷♀️
Some of the footage shown here was used in the documentary "Screaming Queens, " a documentary on the riot at Comptons Cafe.
All their honesty is beautiful but heartbreaking because it seems, that yes the world has come a long way in acceptance of these beautiful ladies.
I hope they have all had a happy life, it would be so nice to see some sort of follow up.
This is 1967, 57 years ago but this could be today 2024 💚🧡🌈
This was incredible!!
You mean nasty!
@@eugeniasyro5774 no, exactly what I wrote. Take your stupid comment and shove it!
@@eugeniasyro5774
They were so polished, sweet and polite.
Sad that in that time they still considered gay as a mental illness 😢
Thankfully this was saved. Pity we don't know what happened to the girls.
didn't know it was that extensive back then I really feel for them in this video and all who are experiencing this pain in today's society they are not alone
Before WWII in Germany there was actually a sizeable trans population there. They had the worlds first gender research clinic, which was one of the first things that the n*zis burned.
People need to accept that you cannot suppress people like this from existing, bc they always will. When people complain about the extremism of LGBT activists today, they need to recognize that is in direct response to trying to suppress their existence. If the people opposing them didn’t make it such a big deal, then it wouldn’t be..
This is not something "new". LGBTQ+ has been around since the beginning of time; it just had to be hidden.
The second was way ahead of her time explaining the difference between femme and gay
Why give these sweet creatures a hard time? Will the human race ever grow up?
I sure hope that the human race does evolve, the sooner the better!
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
am the only one who thinks the interviewer in the beginning is quite respectful and nice to the people being interviewed? I love him. His demeanor seems years ahead of its time. Thank God for film...to quote Liza Minnelli in the docu-tainment "That's Entertainment". I think the ladies have very 1960s New York accents...or New Yawk.
I think that it was a bad choice to quote Liza Minelli. She's been often fooled😝.
Yes it is true, let's remember that, this arty audio-vision material was aired in a time when being gay was worse than being a criminal..I found the interviewer rather polite , considering the time in which such work was aired..men were even afraid of being seen talking to a gay or transgender ...I am not gay but I look up to the LGBT community for its tenacity throughout time
@@kalimanbuda6501 no one cares what your sexual preferences are...
@@michaeltnewyorknights8413 unfortunately people do
i think he is more respectful than others might have been at the time, but he is still talking loudly and interrupting and making the girls uncomfortable
The Interviewer was a disaster! But those were the times! The times when you could not go out in public dressed in the opposite sex clothing! I hope all those girls found happiness, but my gut instinct says no because of the times and how people were wired in those days! Very Good documentary to look back on!
Things still haven't changed
@@Madamemedusa1986 things have changed back then it was illegal for them to even exist it’s not like that now there’s still a lot of hatred and bigotry now but it’s not as bad as it was back in 1960s there are trans now who have jobs houses and live relatively normal lives for there circumstances that was impossible back then
Interviewers less than 10 years ago were disasters as well, even mainstream ones.
I didn’t think it was so bad. It just came across like he didn’t know anything about their life and a little ignorant, but he seemed like he meant to be respectful. Some of the questions which would be considered rude today are just due to the times. Even in the 90’s and early 2000’s interviewers would ask everyone very invasive questions. Tbh it’s a relatively new thing to not ask inappropriately personal questions during interviews.
Absolutely not!!! He was totally respectful, never condescending or judgemental. Super classy and professional on the contrary. This was clearly a very positive recounting of trans women in the making, most of times they were disregarded by journalists as prostitutes or weirdos. He treated these girls as ladys with a lot of empathy. You must place yourself in the ideas of the time.
3:46 what's this music ?
I’m curious too, it’s beautiful
I’m glad CZcams recommended me this
ok but why is everyone so gorgeous?
Simone could eat the interviewer for breakfast.. She's so coolly 5 steps ahead of him. You go girl!!
Much of the footage of the drag ball was earlier seen as part of the exploitation pseudo documentary THE WILD WILD WORLD OF JAYNE MANSFIELD
Thank you for this I just finished watching the rest of the footage from the ball. I'm so glad the black queen won queen of the ball, she sat every other queen down that night.
We always were, we always will be. This was made about the time I started to know that I was different, part of all our histories.
I love this time & era
Does anyone know what happened to them?
This film is a scream! Thank you dear UCLA FTA.
A dazzlingly interesting and amusing and anecdotal insight into then contemporary self-understandings and models of physiological sex types, trans surgery, trans identity, erotic identities, "effeminacy", etc , etc.
These adorable people are really witty and articulate and so NY in your face.
The text-book tussle between radical trans identity and the more traditional male gay-homosexual politics is razor sharp and very provocative.
These splendid sensuous-embodied people were and are existential pioneers at the forefront of sex-and-gender and trans politics and consciousness and aesthetics and being!
What wonderful beautiful lovely people ........
Love andrea
They seem trans to me in 2024.
But were they actually trans?
Or gay?
Modest, Honest and Beautiful 💚
4.45 u swear isn’t that crystal labeija!?
What a brilliant piece of history hope these woman found the happiness they deserve ❤
I don’t think that’s Crystal. Crystal had distinct beauty marks on her cheeks, it doesn’t appear this woman does, though.
It's not crystal, but she was a labeija.
fascinating
It is important to honor the memory of those who came before us.
Does anyone know how Simone is doing today?
To our knowledge, the fates of these ladies are not known. I did hear rumors that one of them might’ve been in an early trans magazine, but I can’t remember where I heard that.
In the 70,s women dress beautiful ❤️
Contestant #89 The black trans women @4:58 - @4:59 was serving face body and realness very passable and gorgeous PAUSE @5:03
As always the black queens shut these balls down. It's a shame their voices were never heard in these documentaries
@@cammik2229 she was perfect gorgeous omg wonder who she was???
@@cammik2229 the only beauty in the room
@@cobbcountyga.housecleaning8004 I have no clue but I've just been watching the documentary the Wild Wild World of Jayne Mansfield which features more of this ball. The black queen actually won queen of the ball that night lol there's another tall black queen who was also gorgeous. There really was no competition that night. You should check it out on CZcams
@@cammik2229 thank you.... Glad to know she won something because anything else would have been PURE SHADE
>boymoding, 1967
Glad this was able to be restored ( amazing media restoration work, wow ) . The "interviewer" , more like a cUnservative police interrogator from Cleveland trying to spread his wings , interviewing people far more interesting than he could ever hope to be ... in his musty , wood - paneled basement.
Actually, he's not doing a bad job, and is pretty respectful, when you consider the era this was filmed in & the complete lack of info around at the time.
@@muthamucka9009
Asking for info about sexual experiences is not particularly respectful and wouldn’t have been considered very respectful at the time either (at least if you were talking to straight, gender-conforming people). For the time, though, it definitely could have been worse.
About 3 minutes in everybody in the Dance Hall is doing a particular dance, it's so cool. Does anybody know the name of that dance?? ✌
I don't think it has a name -- but a LOT of people did this same dance back then. I wish 1960s "groovy , mod, go-go" dancing would make a come back like ballroom dancing did.
The music is fantastic!
Sonya looks like Rocky (Raquel Santiago) from the bad girls club
Today is the *3* year anniversary of when "Queens at Heart" was uploaded! I seriously wonder if any of these women survived past the '80s and '90s. To say that the HIV/AIDS crisis did a number on the LGBTQ+ community would be an understatement! 🤓➡️🤔
I'll bet ONE out the four survived.
All unique people…I really like Simone and hope she’s had a happy life.
beautiful, beautiful queens! what a history knowing they went through hell to express themselves freely ❦
this was sooooooooo good
Wow amazing
Can anyone give us an update what happened to these women in life and if any of them are still alive?
Drag queens
Love to know “where are they now”.
I always wonder if years of bullying did not happen, would I have chosen or different life path or even lived to write the books I did. xoxo
I'm trying to figure out what accent these women have? New York maybe?
The lady in RED has a Spanish / Latin accent that sounds New York-ish . The blond lady in the KNIT TOP who is very shy and seems very uncomfortable - same thing Latin/ Spanish via NYC / Bronx - a little bit. The lady in the huge BLACK WIG sounds like she is from Boston / Mass. The blond in the black feather dress that she made herself -- has NO detectable accent (to me . I'm from NY) . Does this make sense ?
We should all look this good.
Should have made this a series.
Many real women DO look as good or better, without wigs.
@@eugeniasyro5774 so include them too. Men used to wear wigs in other centuries as well the women. It's a great way to change your hair without changing your hair.
I'm mindful of a quotewhich is apt for courage of these women: " When you go out at the start of your day's endeavours the fact that you are not preceded by a marching band and crowds of cheering people it doesn't make your endeavours any less heroic"
I'm hetrosexual but let me tell you I worked with men who would be considered Red blooded males in tooth and claw, but when they were out in Singapore they went all the with Lady Boys there(Men who dress as women),and they were pre op. My work mates admitted they were stunning.
There was a tv program on in the UK about gay men serving in the armed forces during the war. A gay man serving in the Navy " I was sleeping in my bunk when young man slipped in between the sheets. He said "What are you doing".He said "You remind me of my girlfriend" and had consensual sex with him. What annoyed the gay man was this other young man ignored him the next day. I condider myself a straight man but anybody who denies these 3 trans women are not stunning is lying to himself. Sex is complicated, and is in the mind. I read a lot of straight men in Prison are "Gay for the Stay" As i said - Sex is complicated and in the mind. I hope these trans women lived happy peaceful and prosperous lives.They deserve it. After all,who did they kill,who did they rob,who did they bomb,who did the strafe,from whom did they steal?
it's really not as complicated as its made out to be honestly. people are homosexual, bisexual, or heterosexual. i think people just overcomplicate it to avoid having to face certain things. there are men like the ones you listed who claim to be heterosexuals when they're really bisexual and usually closeted, they just have a much stronger leaning/preference towards women which is why they werent getting with men as frequently/regularly or were only getting with men when they went to prison, the military, etc. other times they are homosexual and they just like/prefer feminine men such as the ones in singapore you mentioned, but theyre closeted which is why they claim to be heterosexual, and then on top of that people just assume that if hes masculine/macho then he couldn't possibly be homosexual when in reality that's not true since homosexual doesn't inherently equally feminine
I feel sorry for them. They seem genial enough. This world isn't easy to navigate, and I hope they all made it through. They'd be in their 80s now.
Love it
Is that paul Stanley before kiss?
theyre so cool
This interview is hard to watch. Why do I get the feeling this scared the shit out of everyone except the interviewer. Some of the questions are very personal.
Such Beauty they are 🌈🌈🌈
2:44 Divine's little sister . ?
So Willam went as Simone before? 🤔
Vicky’s so pretty, beautiful eyes.
I love seeing this history. I also love seeing the hair piece of the man questioning the ladies. Time stamp begins at 6:30.
Crystal Labejia was beautiful and real, she was the black girl in all white with the bikini top. She started her own balls uptown in Harlem for the black and Latino girls who were discriminated against at these white balls and they never won.
She was the queen of the house system-nobody can ever take that from her. I don’t think she is in QAH though, none of the women have her distinct beauty marks that she possessed.
60s cross dressers Trixie Mattel was here!
This is so painful to watch! Then again, until only a few short years ago, this was the mindset and, sadly, it still is among quite a few!