 ", starring drag queen Craig Russell, became one of the first gay-themed films to break out into mainstream theatrical release.In 1980, for the first time, a police presence protected gay spectators and drag queens from anti-gay harassment at the annual Hallowe'en show at Toronto's St. Charles Tavern.In the late 1800s to the mid-1900s, pantomime dames became a popular form of female impersonation in Europe.