Gladys Bentley (1907–1960) was a trailblazing blues singer, pianist, and entertainer who shattered gender and sexual conventions during the Harlem Renaissance. Born in Philadelphia, she moved to New York as a teenager and rose to fame performing at Harlem’s Clam House and the Ubangi Club, dressed in tuxedos and backed by chorus girls. Her deep, powerful voice, bawdy lyrics, and open expression of lesbian identity made her a sensation—and a scandal. Bentley recorded for OKeh and Excelsior Records and was one of the first Black women to live publicly as gender-nonconforming. Although social pressures later forced her to temper her image, she remains a symbol of queer pride and artistic defiance.
Find her plaque on Market Street between Noe and Sanchez Streets.