LGBT People Of History Part Twenty Two Gladys Bentley

Born on August 12th 1907 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Gladys Bentley was the daughter of George L. Bentley and his wife, Mary Mote.

At 16 Gladys left Philadelphia for New York where she became a part of the Harlem Renaissance, where she began performing in rent parties and buffet parties and eventually night clubs and speakeasies. Gladys Bentley was a blues singer during the 1920s and 1930s. Gladys was openly lesbian and performed at “The Clam House" which was located on 133rd Street which became one of New York City’s most notorious gay speakeasies during the 1920s.

In the 1930s however Gladys was a headline act at Harlem's Ubangi Club. She dressed in men's clothes, most famous for her top hat and tuxedo. In the club Gladys played piano, and would perform her very own raunchy lyrics to popular tunes in her very deep, growling voice.

She would flirt outrageously with women in the audience.

When Prohibition was repealed in 1933, Gladys moved to Southern California as the speakeasies had started to fall into decline. In Southern California Gladys became known as “Americas Greatest Sepia Piano Player” and also was termed “The Brown Bomber of Sophisticated Songs.” She performed at Joquins' El Rancho in Los Angeles and also she performed at Mona's Club 440 in San Francisco.

She was harassed constantly for wearing men’s clothing.

Gladys changed her image during the McCarthy Era as she began to wear dresses and put away her men’s clothing. She made claims that she had married the newspaper columnist, J. T. Gibson, though soon after this he openly and publicly denied that they had ever wed. In 1952 Gladys did marry a man named Charles Roberts. He was a cook and he was 16 years younger than Bentley. Gladys lied on the marriage certificate, writing her age as 36 rather than 45 - sadly her marriage to Charles eventually ended in divorce.

Gladys studied to become a minister and made claims that she was cured of being a lesbian by taking female hormones.

Sadly in 1960 aged 52 Gladys died of pneumonia.

Callum & Ian

With Thanks To Wikipedia and also to http://www.queerculturalcenter.org

(C) Calpol25&Alian346LGBTPeopleOfHistoryHubs2012