Freak shows at circuses, amusement parks, and the like often feature people considered abnormal or “freaks of nature” by societal standards. Historically, intersex people and people with disabilities have been displayed as spectacles to be gawked and goggled at by fairgoers. Rather than celebrating difference, people too often  make fun of, or treat with disdain, those who defy normality—essentially why freak shows were able to succeed as entertainment. In order to reclaim abnormality from its current status as spectacle, a diverse group of performers, known as the Cockettes, donned gender-bending garb proudly and unashamedly. The group, which was founded in a commune in San Francisco in 1969, was critical of institutionalized norms relating to gender, sex, and sexuality. By actively asserting their strangeness, they presented an alternative way of living that pushed the limits of their times.