This is a complete misconception in terms of Forgotten Realms lore. You could always play a drow male priest of Lolth in all editions of D&D. The problem is, most Lolthite societies would have you killed for it, since gender roles are very rigidly defined. However Lolth herself is a goddess of chaos, and who thrives on chaos, and if it serves her purpose, she might allow a drow priest to gain spells from her, provided the priest is in some way following her designs.
Not entirely true. I haven't played PnP since 2nd edition but I know for a fact that you could not play a drow anything in 2nd edition.
