Among its 2,000 annual performances, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts staged a drag-themed show last year, “Dragtastic Dress-up.” President Trump seized on the show to justify a hostile takeover of the center, vowing on social media, “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA — ONLY THE BEST.”

Demonizing drag stigmatizes LGBTQ people and may further incite hate groups, who in recent years have mounted protests, threats and violent actions against drag events. It is important to set the record straight on drag shows, which are embedded in mainstream American culture.

The first drag queen may have been a former slave named William Dorsey Swann, who staged drag balls in the late 19th century. Drag balls flourished in the early 20th century during the Harlem Renaissance. Today, drag is popular entertainment, from the movie “A Star Is Born,” with the great performance by the........

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