William Dorsey Swann is the first person in recorded US history to consider themselves a drag queen, host drag balls in their home, and fight for their rights as a queer person – in late 1800s Washington, DC! 

Swann Queen, starring DC drag legends Pussy Noir and King Molasses, is a short fiction film and historical reimagining of a night at a ball hosted by Billy Swann and their brother Dan. When the police raid the party, Billy must decide whether to run or resist.

Written and directed by L cedeño miller, and co-written with the film’s stars, Swann Queen is a love letter to Chocolate City, drag, and queer resistance.