Streaming now: Joan Jett Blakk for President

At the heights of the AIDS epidemic, Joan Jett Blakk, the drag persona of performer and activist Terence Smith, ran a satirical campaign for mayor of Chicago and then later for President of the United States on the Queer Nation Party platform. Using hilarious banter and guerrilla tactics to bring queer issues to the national stage, Candidate Blakk made it all the way to the floor of the 1992 Democratic National Convention at Madison Square Garden. 

This 65-minute program, curated from raw video footage shot by Bill Stamets and Skip Blumberg and housed at Media Burn Archive, captures several moments from Blakk’s campaign. It’s streaming now via the SNF Parkway Virtual Theatre.