Drag Then and Today

I've attached an article on modern drag I found that I think relates to our conversation about drag identity...
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/17/arts/drag-queens-rupaul-drag-race.html

I'm still curious how drag factored into an individual's identity in the 30's/40s/50s, and if it was an identity people claimed or was more of a hobby/art form. It's interesting to compare/contrast the tangential stories of drag we get with the stories in articles like the one I've included.