Bentley then worked as a performer at Mad House, a club located in the iconic “Jungle Alley, ” and became an instant sensation. It was also a time when queer African Americans, such as Bentley, found places where they could express themselves, especially through the entertainment industry.īentley started playing piano at all-night rent parties, and she became well known for her deep voice, her boyish apparel, and for performing popular songs of the era with an unladylike twist. The 1920s were also notable as the Prohibition Era, when alcohol was illegal in the United States, spurring the emergence of speakeasies, bootleg alcohol, illicit gambling, and gang violence. At age 16, feeling unwanted in her own home, Bentley ran away to Harlem, New York, at the height of the Harlem Renaissance.Īs a result of the Great Migration, African American culture flourished in urban centers such as Harlem, manifesting in the arts, music, poetry, and literature. Her parents disapproved of her sexuality and took her to several doctors with hopes to “cure” her. At a young age Bentley discovered she was a lesbian she felt more comfortable in boys clothes and was attracted to women. The eldest of four children, Bentley had a difficult upbringing.
Her father was African American and her mother was from Trinidad. Gladys Bentley was born on August 12, 1907, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to a working class family. I am still a star.” – Gladys Bentley Gladys Bentley’s Story “ I have earned the distinction of being the first, and in some cases, the only performer of my race to crash the most plush glitter spots.
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