Michele Bruno

Michele Bruno (1941-2016) was a South African drag queen and hairdresser. Bruno lived in Johannesburg and became to perform drag in the 1960s. He was the first Miss Gay South Africa in 1969.

Biography

Bruno was born in 1941 and his parents were Italian immigrants to South Africa.[1] By 1960, Bruno was performing as a drag queen, though his day job was working as a hairdresser in Johannesburg.[1] Bruno used male pronouns and was considered "gender-variant."[1][2]

In 1960, Bruno was involved in the first commercial drag show at the Jewish Guild Theatre.[1] Bruno received some infamy after being arrested for "masquerading as a woman" in the 1966 Forest Town raid.[2] Bruno's name, along with other attendees was printed in the paper.[3] In 1969, Bruno was named the first Miss Gay South Africa.[2]

Bruno continued to work as a hairdresser until his death in 2016.[1] He was one of the subjects of an exhibition at Museum Africa, "Joburg Tracks."[4] A 1997 oral history by Bruno and an archive of materials saved by Bruno is part of the Gay and Lesbian Memory in Action (GALA) collection.[5]

References
  1. Gevisser, Mark (2016-05-19). "Gay rights pioneer who blazed a trail in Jozi leaves SA richer". The Mail & Guardian. Archived from the original on 2017-02-22. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
  2. Meslani, Zane Lelo (2018-10-05). "The Art and Struggles of Drag". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
  3. Gevisser, Mark (2014-04-15). Lost and Found in Johannesburg: A Memoir. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-374-17676-1. Archived from the original on 2020-07-01. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
  4. "Tracking the gay experience". Joburg. Archived from the original on 2020-06-14. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
  5. Chernis, Linda (20 May 2016). "Farewell Michele Bruno" (PDF). GALA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
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