Crowning King Anchovy: Cold War Gay Visibility in San Antonio's Urban Festival

Abstract

Between 1951 and 1964, Corny-ation, a mock debutante pageant organized by gay men, was a featured event in San Antonio’s annual civic festival, Fiesta. Attended by a public audience of thousands and reviewed in the local papers, Corny-ation was a critical site of gay visibility during the Cold War period. I argue that Corny-ation built on a moment of democratization by Fiesta organizers in order to push gay visibility into the public sphere. Relying on rhetoric about inclusivity and expansiveness of the festival, Corny-ation organizers were able to position Corny-ation as an event for the common man, “the little people” in San Antonio. With this democratization, Corny-ation designers and organizers brought a camp aesthetic to a public audience.