Gladys Bentley

<p>Gladys Bentley was a part of the Harlem Renaissance as a performer &ndash; she played piano and sang in ways that drew huge crowds starting in the 1920s, and she was completely out as a lesbian. But her story takes some surprising turns.</p> <p><strong>Research:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Adkins, Judith. &ldquo;These People Are Frightened to Death.&rdquo; Prologue Magazine. National Archives. Summer 2016. Vol. 48, No. 2. https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2016/summer/lavender.html</li> <li>Britannica Editors. "rent party".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Nov. 2016, https://www.britannica.com/topic/rent-party</li> <li>Chase, Bill. &ldquo;House Rent Parties Were an …