A hero’s origins: the true story of the first drag queen presidential candidate

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According to the Guardian, the off-Broadway show Ms Blakk for President, directed by Tina Landau and written by Oscar-winning writer Tarell Alvin McCraney, explores the life and activism of Terence Alan Smith. At the height of the AIDS crisis, Smith adopted his drag persona, Joan Jett Blakk, and announced her candidacy for president with the slogan "Lick Bush in ’92!" Her platform included firing everyone in the White House, painting it pink, rerouting the military budget to education and healthcare, and returning land to Indigenous people. Although the campaign did not advance far, Blakk infiltrated the Democratic national convention, becoming the country's first Black drag queen presidential candidate. Tony nominee Ato Blankson-Wood stars in the production, which runs at the Vineyard Theatre in New York City until 29 November.