A Little Gay Historia

Independent LGBTQ+ History Blog!

[alittlegayhistoria]

Zoe Leonard - 'I Want a President' (1992)

“I want a dyke for president…” form the opening lines for the battalion of critical incisiveness and queer radical spirit that is Zoe Leonard’s 1992 piece ‘I Want a President’. Surging forth into the American public realm following the fatal negligence of Reagan’s administration during the AIDS epidemic and the next presidential election run-up, ‘I Want A President’ dared to interrogate the fundamental denial of marginalised bodies, minds and experiences in the political arena. Constituting a poignant position in the broader visual languages of AIDS activism and queer resistance, ‘I Want A President’ broke ground in inspiring and furthering a critical modality of hope. Its impassioned sentences at once demand empathy and humanity from authoritative figures. Leonard’s statements queer the metrics of power that vehemently deny those outside of cis-heteropatriarchal society by providing currency in promoting otherwise silenced voices, and reestablishing their lived experiences as ethically fundamental in the articulation and implementation of policies that account for real citizens.

Functioning as a key catalyst for ‘I Want A President’, Leonard was inspired by the dynamism of fellow lesbian poet and artist Eileen Myles’ presidential bid in the 1991-1992 presidential election, alongside Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Ross Perot. Myles herself charged up by Bush’s lamentations of “the politically correct” (which implied an intended diminution of the voices of women, people of colour and LGBTQ+ critiquing hegemonic political assertions) in his commencement address galvanised an intellectual juncture that scrutinised the supposed impossibility of an openly female, openly queer president in the mainstream American consciousness. Acting in symbiosis to Myles’ work and presidential candidacy, Leonard was (and remains) a prominent and active member of queer activist collectives like Fierce Pussy, and her political praxis and astute artistic sensibilities informed the dissemination and distribution of ‘I Want A President’. Formerly intended to be a statement for an underground LGBTQ+ publication, the piece was printed as a Xerox document and circulated amongst Leonard’s friends, wider queer social circles and activist cohorts. It rapidly rumbled outwards into the wider public space, levying a challenge to the unfeeling political elite through progressive prose that illuminated the standpoints of those most denigrated in American ideology and dogma.

Spanning experiences of targeted violence, poverty, and disenfranchisement, the rhythmic structure of ‘I Want A President’ is arresting in its unflinching engagement with state-enabled trauma interwoven with empathic sentences expressing solidarity with those who continue to survive despite the odds. Grappling with legacies of lethal indifference in institutional engagement with the AIDS crisis, environmental damage bolstered by social inequalities, and sustained acts of gender-motivated attacks, Leonard’s calls and aspirations for a feeling, loving and reflexive leader remain tantamount in the contemporary era. The concluding lines “Always a boss and never a worker, always a liar, always a thief and never caught” is deeply evocative as a searing indictment against acts of blatant corruption and incitement of destructive community tensions by political elites able to evade culpability through immense social privileges. ‘I Want A President’ and its power lies in its calibration of empathy as a lightning rod for action, to make the yearning for difference not a mawkish instinct, but a place of generative resistance against political systems that seek to elicit apathy from sustained deprecation of those who fall outside of the power lines on the basis of race, gender, sexuality, class, ability and beyond.

‘I Want A President’ continues to have vibrant reverberations in contemporary political and queer counterculture. In 2016, it was erected under Manhattan’s High Line, a New York park built upon a disused elevated railway, proclaiming its moving and robust prose to a new public audience in the run-up to the 2016 election which devastatingly saw in the presidency of Donald Trump, reminding us all too much of what ‘I Want A President’ advocates against. Leonard’s powerful work continues to garner creative inspiration amongst queer artists, notably being read by queer rapper and artist Mykki Blanco, directed as part of a film by Adinah Dancyger in 2016, providing a reading that was passionate, imbued with immense political frustration that made its words all the more visceral in the face of Trump’s eventual inauguration. In 2018, the piece was reprinted with 100 copies and distributed in aid of the Treatment Action Group, a community-based think tank producing bold, advancing research into AIDS/HIV and other conditions in the pursuit of LGBTQ+, gender and racial liberation. The timelessness and transience of ‘I Want A President’ is made clear in its sustained relevance in the fluctuations in the national political milieu, demonstrating its significance as a queer cultural artefact that inspires fights for justice across multiple social intersections.

Leonard continues to enjoy a lustrous artistic career, and is now represented by the Hauser & Wirth gallery, where ‘I Want A President’ was celebrated and honoured for its cultural impact and staying power. Translating the piece’s deep insights and challenges against discriminatory political dominance in the British context, one can foster ‘I Want A President’ in expressing their disavowal of political acts devoid of empathy and basic human respect. Namely the state hatred of trans and genderqueer people in the name of political point-scoring, the loathsome class stigmatisation of current prime minister Rishi Sunak in his boasting of defunding what he deemed ‘deprived’ urban areas and the skyrocketing levels of financial precarity and homelessness under a fractious economic system. Leonard’s ruminations and desires in ‘I Want A President’ remain emblematic of the potency of queer activism and eternally vital, in demanding better representation, for politicians that care, that feel, that emote, that dare to think holistically beyond the sinister motivator of unbridled capitalistic power.

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STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries)

STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) was a fierce collective headed by legends Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson in the early years of the gay rights movement. The strength and power of the group was encapsulated by STAR House, which ran briefly in the early 70s and was a safe haven for transgender people, sex workers and homeless youths. 

STAR and STAR House emerged swiftly under the direction of Sylvia Rivera following the Weinstein Hall sit-ins at New York University, which were organized by gay and student activists due to NYU cancelling events that facilitated queer dance fundraisers. Following the protest, Rivera became emboldened to establish a more radical vision of queer liberation that fiercely resisted anti-queer police violence and included the rights of trans people and drag queens. At the time, these aims were often diluted in the manifestos and policies of more conservative gay rights groups such as the GAA (Gay Activists Alliance). 

Recognising that strong community structures were vital in inciting revolutionary change, Sylvia Rivera, alongside Marsha P. Johnson, began their first iteration of STAR House and moved into a rundown building on 213 East Second Street. Here, they created a family unit for those suffering on the streets and hustled in order to keep them protected. Additionally, STAR House were vital collaborators in numerous community outreach programmes - initiatives that supported queer, poor and homeless people in areas such as housing, education and employment. In 1971, staring down the barrel of continuous police brutality, Rivera, Johnson and several other activists organized a Gay Community Prison Committee to protect the rights of queer prisoners.

STAR was essential within the landscape of early 70s gay activism, which was rife with anti-trans prejudice. The 1973 Christopher Street Liberation Day, known as the genesis of Pride, saw Sylvia Rivera come under fire by other gay campaigners for her want to speak out against the ignorance of the privileged, white middle class factions of the movement. Sylvia was physically attacked, but persevered and made her way onto the main stage - where she called out the sheer negligence of the community for ignoring violence suffered by queer people in jail. The sheer level of hostility caused Sylvia to become disillusioned with politics, and she left the city, continuing her activism elsewhere and STAR House gradually disbanded.

The legacy of STAR continued however, and it was the inspiration for Transy House - a collective started by Chelsea Goodwin and Rusty Mae Moore in the mid 90s which supported trans people and engaged in community action. It was also the home of Sylvia Rivera in the final years of her life. STAR is often credited with being a touchstone of the modern queer and transgender political movement. It was radical and provided home for those forced onto the fringes of society. Trans people were able to commune, party and had refuge to explore their own gender identities. We are all eternally indebted to Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson for being the godmothers of queer revolution.

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Bhupen Khakhar - 10th March 1934 - 8th August 2003

Notable for being the first artist in India to openly disclose his identity as a gay man through his artwork, Bhupen Khakhar was a fearless creative whose art shone as a beacon of unrestrained truth. 

As an artist, he arrived at a later stage in his life, and came up alongside the influential Baroda School - a  famous collective of painters that were prominent at the time and resisted the colonial influence imposed by the British presence in India. Khakhar’s work spanned across many disciplines (from sculpture and installations to paintings) - and his distinctly colorful and figurative art style made him a unique visionary. Khakhar’s depictions of sexuality were rich and grounded in Indian cultural life, practices and mythology. 

Embodying this is one of his most prominent works ‘You Can’t Please All’ (1981) - a painting showing a visual from an ancient Indian mythological story with a naked Khakhar positioned on a balcony watching from above. Within the scene, one of the figures expresses “Please all, and you will please none!” and this symbolised an affirmation of Khakhar’s own homosexuality and an introspection into his own identity. Khakhar’s work also appeals to a decolonial perspective, as it dismantled British colonial attitudes about sexuality that were woven into India’s social fabric. The poetic subtleties of sexual themes within Khakhar’s work garnered him wider attention within the global art world.

Crucial to his development as an artist and his identity was his time spent in London. It was during the late 1970’s where he began to witness and appreciate open acts of love and expression between gay men and met and became influenced by artists like Howard Hodgkin and David Hockney. It spirited his works and he continued to produce paintings like Two Men in Benares (1982) and Yayati (1989) which represented men engaged in sensual relationships imbued with mythological symbolism. 

In the final years of his life, Bhupen Khakhar was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and his work changed direction and he began to illustrate bodies that had been changed through disease, war and violence and represented them in scenes of beauty. He eventually passed away in the summer of 2003. Khakhar’s legacy is one that encourages artists to risk all, to be bold and to prioritise truth telling above all technical intricacies. Painting from a distinctly Indian point of view, his painting of gay eroticism and desire stand tall as deeply influential, even in today’s times - where queer relationsips are still firmly positioned at the margins.

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Tallulah Bankhead - 31st January 1902 - 12th December 1968

Dazzling the silver screen and Broadway stages, Tallulah Bankhead was an actress, radio star and a figure of fascination whose wicked laughter cut straight through the pleasant respectability of old Hollywood. Born into Alabama aristocracy, Tallulah Bankhead showed rambunctiousness and star quality from a young age; shaking off her extremely strict grandparents’ rule of the roost, instead opting to dance and bellow songs from the top of the dining table to impress her father and his political friends.

To say Tallulah’s career was colourful would be the *grandest* of understatements. She dominated the London theatre scene throughout the 1920’s and reached her pinnacle in the 1930’s and 40’s on American Broadway, earning ruptious applause in plays like ‘The Little Foxes’ (1939), ‘The Skin of our Teeth’ (1942), all with an outstanding appearance in Alfred Hitchock’s ‘Lifeboat’ (1944) to boot. Grandiose, larger than life and absolutely fabulous, Tallulah summoned a cult following on and off stage. Infamous for her razor sharp wit, a husky voice “steeped in sex” and outrageous antics; Talluah was an absolute cultural phenonemon.

"I don't know what I am, darling. I've tried several varieties of sex. Going down on a woman gives me a stiff neck, going down on a man gives me lockjaw, and conventional sex gives me claustrophobia.” 

Tallulah held nothing back when it came to anything sex. Figureheads of the 1934 Hays Code (an extremely patriarchal and stuffy set of production guidelines) were known to self-combust with rage as Tallulah would frequent film sets and theatre stages wearing no underwear, all the while cracking the most risqué of jokes. She was also fiercely bisexual and notoriously part of ‘The Four Riders of Alconquin’, a group of high society bisexual and lesbian women, renowned for their wildness at parties. Rumours have it she amounted over 500 lovers! Her lifestyle was one of sheer hedonism; enveloped in a haze of codeine and cocaine, dripping with Bourbon and full of sexual conquests.

Into the 1950’s, Tallulah was critically acclaimed and celebrated for her own booming radio show “The Big Show”. Continuing to perform in the 1960’s, she was a regular feature on the stage of the Las Vegas Sands as well as providing an unforgettable performance in the 1965 film ‘Fanatic’, co-starring Stefanie Powers. Gasping her last words “codeine….bourbon”, the fierce life and times of Tallulah Bankhead was put to rest as she passed away in 1968. Tallulah’s legacy, however, is everlasting. Her provocative persona inspired six stage shows based on her, was a major influence in the creation of the character Cruella D’Evil and, ultimately, provided a form of escapism to many queer people of her times; embodying the fantasy of a glamorous woman who refused to be tamed.

May Tallulah Bankhead forever be memorialised as one of the high priestesses of camp!

Rest in power DAHHHHLIIINGGG!

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Staceyann Chin - Born 25th December 1972

Evoking the very spirit of revolution and radical politics itself, Staceyann Chin is a Jamaican, Brooklyn-based spoken word poet with work centered on subjects such as oppression, identity and the need to be politically active. A self-proclaimed 'out poet and political activist', Chin’s career is both vibrant and striking - from performing in poetry cafes (most notably the Nuyorican Poets’ Cafe in Manhattan) to appearing in award-winning works such as ‘Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam’ where she performed one of her most famous pieces, ‘If Only Out of Vanity’,  as well as creating her own shows - including her one-woman show Motherstruck, nominated for a 2017 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding New York Theater.

With deeply personal and political performances - Chin is a passionate activist campaigning for the rights of BAME and queer communities. She vocalises and highlights systemic racial violence through performances such as ‘Homophobia’ and ‘Racism’, while also discussing her life and experiences as a queer woman of colour. She has received multiple awards for causes and organisations she’s worked for, such as winning the 2016 Planned Parenthood Excellence in Media Award to being the winner of a 2009 New York State senate award. Chin’s memoir, ‘The Other Side of Paradise’ was released that same year. It chronicles her life and the movement from one home to another, from her birthplace of Jamaica to moving to the US, coming out as a lesbian and how poetry enabled her to explore her identity.

Chin says that she was also inspired by works by black feminist authors such as Jean Jordan and Audre Lorde; she says of those works; '...I started to read work that was maybe pushing me towards a more intersectional philosophy. I think if you form connections with people, if your life expands, then it is natural that the people who you are concerned about, the issues you’re concerned about, expand also…'

Currently, Chin is a Poet-In-Residence at the Culture Project, and continues to speak and perform on an international scale. Staceyann Chin is a poetic powerhouse and a one-of-a-kind performer that refuses to be classified!

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Tracey ‘Africa’ Norman - Born 1952:

Hailed as the first black trans supermodel, Tracey Norman forged a booming modelling career in the 1970’s, after being discovered by Italian Vogue photographer Irving Penn. She went onto have several deals - including Avon and Ultra Sheen cosmetics, as well as being an iconic face of Clairol’s ‘Born Beautiful’ campaign - her colour, 512: Dark Auburn. As Tracey’s career was quickly growing, she had her identity as a trans woman outed on a shoot, and her career ground to a halt.

Born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, Tracey as a young child began to see her gender identity in a different light through observing her mother’s beauty and grace. As Tracey recounted in her famous New York Magazine profile; “I saw my mother in this beautiful sleeveless black dress and high heels — she always wore her hair short, red lips...She looked absolutely incredible to me. It was like a movie.” Her mother’s unconditional love and support emboldened Tracey as a trans woman, and Tracey often cited her mother as “her biggest cheerleader”. Norman made her mark within queer scenes, partying in clubs such as Third World and Up the Down Stairs, attracting large numbers of the trans community, who gave affirmation to Norman’s truth as a woman of colour.

Norman began her pursuit of a modelling career. She watched many different fashion shows, gaining entry by informing the people operating that she was a student at FIT. Norman learnt the walks, poses and styles of the runway. One day, she noticed a group of models she recognised from the glossy magazines as they began to enter the Pierre hotel - she followed behind them into a large suite, and gave her information and picture to the people in charge, later learning it was members of Italian Vogue, and began a highly successful modelling career for approximately four years before she was outed.

That didn’t stop Tracey Norman - as she continued to strive and create a life for herself. Travelling to Paris on little finances, Norman scored a number of modelling jobs, including becoming a house model of the Balenciaga Showroom. In the 1980’s, Norman re emerged into the famous ball community and became the Mother of the House of Africa, earning icon status.

Now, Norman has now embraced a total resurgence in her modelling career - after her profile was featured in New York magazine in 2015. She reentered the public eye, returning to Clairol as the new face of their colour range, being honoured in Out Magazine’s 100, and being celebrated by many incredible queer figures - notably Janet Mock and Laverne Cox. Her unrelenting ambition, her incredible story legendary figure of trans excellence has finally come into the cultural forefront.

“Don’t be afraid to live your truth, and if an opportunity knocks, go for it. It’s good to be back, and it’s really good to be me.” - Tracey Norman, in her advertisement as the new face of the Clairol “Color as Real as You Are” campaign.

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Robert Mapplethorpe - 4 November 1946 - 9 March 1989:

Robert Mapplethorpe was a famous photographer - notable for his work on New York’s S&M scene, his floral still lifes, nude photography alongside his portraits of iconic celebrities - including close friend, Patti Smith. After being raised in suburban America, Robert followed his artistic aspirations and enrolled in the Pratt Institute - studying drawing, painting and sculpture. 

Mapplethorpe’s career began to blossom, with his first solo exhibition, “Polaroids” being shown in 1973. As an active member of the underground queer scene of New York, Mapplethorpe documented the lives and experiences of the S&M community. Through his work - Mapplethorpe allowed authentic queer representation to come to the cultural forefront, as his photography was inextricably linked to his personal life and identity as a gay man. He continued to refine his craft into the 1980’s, producing images that brought forward themes of eroticism and frankness, including images that continued to provide visbility to communities of gay men living in New York and San Francisco.

In 1986, he was diagnosed with AIDS - but that didn’t stop him from his evolving creative and personal pursuits. He continued to accept challenging commissions, and sought out more subjects for his photography. As he told ARTnews in 1988: “...I'm looking for the unexpected. I'm looking for things I've never seen before…I was in a position to take those pictures. I felt an obligation to do them." Mapplethorpe’s legacy and honour lives on in his foundation, The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, which he founded in 1988. His intent for the foundation was to actively support museums exhibiting photographic art and fund medical research on HIV/AIDS.

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Julie d’Aubigny - 1670-1707:

Leading a truly unconventional and wild life full of brawling and passion - Julie d’Aubigny was a bisexual 17th Century swordswoman and opera star. Her father was King Louis XIV’s Master of the Horse and trained the court pages- Julie rapidly learnt the same skills taught to them, such as dancing, drawing, reading and fencing. At 14, the Count d’Armagnac took Julie as his mistress and later had her married to Sieur de Maupin, but Julie rejected a devoted life of married servitude and refused to come with him when he received a position in Southern France.

Not even within a year of her marriage, Julie pursed an affair with fencing master Sérannes, who Julie fled with to Marseilles after an illegal duel. Dressed in man's clothes, Julie travelled with Sérannes across France and led a life of partying and rebellion - which Julie funded through performing impromptu shows, singing and dancing. However, Julie grew tired of this life with Sérannes after she met and seduced a merchant’s daughter while tavern hopping and ran away with her.

The pair became hot gossip as most people were actively against their same-sex relationship, especially when coupled with Julie’s tumultuous life and reputation of being a highly esteemed fighter. The parents of Julie’s lover sent her away to the Visitandines convent in Avignon. d’Aubigny followed and planned an ingenious heist to get her lover back. She took the Holy Orders and entered the convent as a postulant and stole the body of a dead nun, hid it in her lovers bed and burned the convent to the ground as she and her lover escaped back onto the road once more.

After their affair, the woman returned to her family, who were shocked at their daughter being alive and pushed for d’Aubigny to be persecuted. Charged with counts of arson, body snatching and kidnapping, she was sentenced to death by fire but was not present at the tribunal. Instead, she was granted pardon by King Louis XIV, who was greatly amused by her wild adventures and anecdotes, and she rose to fame in a highly successful opera career. 

In her final years, Julie fell deeply in love with Marie Louise Thérèse de Senneterre, la Marquise de Florensac. After her passing in 1705, d’Aubigny was deeply grief stricken and retired from the opera - taking refuge in a convent. She spent the rest of her days there until she passed away in 1707. At the time of an ever-shifting cultural landscape, Julie forged a space for herself to live her the life to the fullest and has been memorialised since through a variety of books, films and plays.

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August 1966

“It was the first known instance of collective, militant queer resistance to police harassment in United States history.” Susan Stryker and Victor Silverman, the producers of the ‘Screaming Queens’ documentary.

In the documentary, Suzan Cooke - a trans woman and activist, describes the Tenderloin at the time as ”...a kind of a gay ghetto....” Many trans women and queens were refused employment, housing and were at the brunt of police violence and humiliation. Compton’s Cafeteria, a centrally located all-night cafe, became a place of refuge from the persistent threat of violence.

The upswing of the Civil Rights movement created new forms of activism in San Francisco, such as homophile movements which were early gay rights advocates and the Glide Church began to introduce progressive community projects. Stryker highlights in the Screaming Queens documentary that “the civil rights movement fuelled the queens newfound militancy.” Changing political attitudes created deeper divisions between the queens and Compton’s management, who began to more regularly call on police to kick out and arrest the queens. It was time to fight back.

On a hot summer night, a queen threw a hot cup of coffee into a  policeman's face and mayhem ensued. Windows were smashed as the Tenderloin’s queer community fought hard against the police, rioting against all the oppression and hatred they’d been subjected to. Stryker summarises;  “....Before it was over, a police car was destroyed, the corner newsstand set on fire and years of pent-up resentment boiled out into the night.”

The riot resulted in positive change for the rights of transgender people. Trans women were given more autonomy and freedom to self-express. Felicia Elizondo recounts; “There was a big change. We can dress like women all the time. We don’t have to be little effeminate hair fairies anymore. We can be who we are inside.” Moreover, networks and new support programs for trans people were formed, such as official identification cards that reflected their new gender, allowing the trans community to pursue state careers and education. The first surgical sex reassignment clinic was also introduced in 1968, by the Stanford University Medical Center.

Predating the more famous Stonewall Riots, Compton’s should be respected and remembered within LGBT history. Trans historian Susan Stryker’s work in Screaming Queens truly honours the hustlers of the Tenderloin - as pioneers who fought with courage and passion for their human rights.

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Black Cat Tavern Riot - Held February 11th, 1967      

Declared as a historic and cultural monument by the city of Los Angeles, the Black Cat Tavern is the site of the first recorded national LGBT demonstration.

On the night of their 1967 New Years celebrations, the party was in full swing until undercover cops, who dispersed themselves throughout the bar, took a brutal hold - attacking and arresting the patrons. In response, a new radical gay organisation PRIDE (Personal Rights in Defence and Education - formed in 1966) and several others congregated to strategize demonstrations in response to the Black Cat raid. Those arrested and held in court also gained support from the Tavern Guild, an association of queer bar owners who started the Tavern Guild Legal Aid Fund who gained donations from as many as 100 gay bars throughout LA.

Protests were held across Los Angeles, but it was in Silverlake, where many gathered outside the Black Cat, which was the most successful. Amongst gay activists, stood religious leaders and attorneys who gave speeches over loudspeakers and exhibited leaflets promoting gay rights to the public.

Alexei Romanoff, a gay businessman and key organiser of the protest, gives sentiment to its empowering atmosphere; “I was thinking that someone could drive by and shoot me. So there was fear, but also a sense of pride. We weren’t hiding anymore. I was standing out in front of the public, being myself, saying: This is who I am. I deserve the same rights as everybody else. I deserve not to be beat, not to be arrested just for being me.”

The Black Cat Riot was also highly esteemed by the Free Press; “The Los Angeles homosexual community— long reluctant to come out into the open—now appears ready to launch an entirely new kind of civil rights drive. A drive demanding equal treatment for sexual minorities.” The riot sparked the fight in getting legal protection for LGBT people and lead to the formation of The Advocate, a leading voice and magazine in LGBT press today. The Black Cat should be honoured in its significance - as it truly gave momentum and a new perspective for the gay rights movement.

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George Cecil Ives - 1 October, 1867 - 4 June, 1950:

George Cecil Ives was a German-English writer, poet, penal reformer and a homosexual law campaigner. Raised by grandmother Emily Ives, Ives lived between Bentworth in the United Kingdom and the South of France where he was home educated and later enrolled at Magdalene College, Cambridge. This sparked the beginning of Ives’ work as he began compiling volumes of diaries and scrapbooks - containing clippings from a diverse range of topics - spanning from his interests such as cricket to wider areas such as theories on crime and punishment, psychology of gender, transvestism and homosexuality.

Ives met Oscar Wilde at the Authors Club in London in 1892. Ives had accepted his sexuality and now focused upon advancing what he identified as ‘The Cause’ which worked to combat against the oppression of homosexuals. Though Wilde didn’t share the same passion for ‘The Cause’ that Ives did, that didn’t hinder him and in 1897, he organised the first formal homosexual rights group, The Order of Chaeronea, a secret society named after the battle where male lovers of the Theban Band were killed in 38BC. Ives understood that ‘The Cause’ would not be accepted by wider society, so the society ran under a system of codes, passwords and ceremonies and eventually members were enlisted from all the over the globe - helping to promote gay rights worldwide.

Sex psychology also was one of Ives’ core interests and through his connections within the field, he began the British Society for the Study of Sex Psychology in 1914. The society addressed multiple areas and progressive ideas such as a more rational attitude towards sexual conduct, birth control and abortion as well as prostitution. In an era that often sought to conserve, Ives’ work was forward-thinking and was one of the first instances of homosexual rights campaigning in Britain and, although less known, George Cecil Ives should be highlighted as an influential figure within queer history.

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Venus Xtravaganza – May 22, 1965 ~ December 21, 1988

Venus Xtravaganza was an American transgender performer, who rose to national recognition after featuring prominently in Jennie Livingston’s documentary Paris is Burning (1990) The documentary focussed on the rich culture of New York’s drag ball scene. Venus, who left home in her early teenage years, became accepted into the house of Xtravaganza through several mesmerising performances within the competition circuit and balls.

Discussing the ball scene, one writer expressed; “The allure of costume, high fashion, status and wealth combined to form an enveloping world of love and acceptance.” Conceptually, this was embodied through Venus’ ambitions, as she discusses in Paris is Burning, “I would like to become a spoiled rich white girl.” She said, “They get what they want, whenever they want it. They don’t really have to struggle with finances, nice things, nice clothes and they don’t have that as a problem.” She goes on to discuss the socioeconomic barriers and the transphobic climate of the time and many queer theorists highlight that her dreams are articulated in a way that demonstrates such inequalities, while simultaneously replicating the essence of opulence and grace of the drag ball scene.

Venus as a relied on survival work, such as the sex trade, in order to support herself. She aspired to become a model and was also saving for sexual reassignment surgery.  Often experiencing immense transphobia, her eventual murder made explicit the vast extents of violence inflicted upon trans women of colour. She was killed before the completion of the documentary, highly suspected that she was killed by a vengeful client who discovered she wasn’t a cisgendered woman. Angie Xtravaganza, her drag mother, was interviewed within the documentary following Venus’ death; “We used to get dressed together. Call each other, and say what we were going to wear. She was like my right hand as far as I’m concerned. I miss her, anytime I go anywhere, I miss her. That was the main daughter of my house in other words.”  

The House of Extravaganza remains extremely active and influential within the ball circuit and LGBTQ+ activism. Venus’ legacy bears great cultural significance, and her deterministic spirit shined through in Paris is Burning, navigating through the immense discrimination through the survival trade in order to stride forward and achieve her dreams.  

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The Lady Chablis - 11 March, 1957  - 8th September, 2016

‘Savannah’s Grand Empress’ The Lady Chablis first launched into stardom when she featured in the film adaptation of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil; and she remained as the vibrant and glamorous heart of the deep South through her wonderful performances and compassion. She actively worked to ensure she played herself in director Clint Eastwood’s 1997 adaptation, and as a result, became the first black trans woman to feature in a major motion picture. The movie focused upon the murder of a male prostitute allegedly committed by a Southern socialite. The Lady Chablis’ role allowed exploration into themes of discrimination that were embedded into the South. That same year, Chablis’ autobiography was produced and was entitled ‘Hiding My Candy’, a title that referenced her personal choice not to have sexual reassignment surgery and was a trademark joke often used in her act. Her memoir quickly became a widely-selling success.

The Lady Chablis cultivated a powerful image and reputation; illuminating Savannah’s gay scene, especially Club One where she was an iconic fixture. Throughout the 00’s, The Lady Chablis regularly donated proceedings and money from her performances into supporting a wide range of charities, working particularly with the American Diabetes Foundation. Chablis also prominently contributed to LGBT+ organizations and headlined Savannah’s gay pride celebrations. In their memorial post on their Facebook page, Club One commented; “She was Club One’s very first entertainer, officiating our grand opening in 1988, and paving the way for female impersonation in Savannah. No one, however, could outshine the Grand Empress herself.”

Chablis’ impersonations were a celebration of femininity and womanhood. She was rich in sass and unabashed wit, with her iconic flamboyance reaching wider audiences which made her a role model to many minorities of the time. After her passing in September 2016, Laverne Cox paid homage, providing a heartwarming sentiment; “She was salty and brash in her stage act and represents a generation of trans women entertainers we must not forget. Rest in power the doll, The Lady Chablis.”

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Oscar Wilde – 16 October, 1954 – 30 November, 1900:

Oscar Wilde remains one of the greatest playwrights and novelists, famous for their rich and groundbreaking wit. Wilde was born during the Victorian era, a time inextricably linked with sexual repression and rigid social tradition. In his teenage years, he began to coin his distinctive identity of flowing hair and flamboyant dress. Wilde also showed academic excellence and after graduating from Oxford University, began to lecture as a leading poet, art critic and figure in the Aesthetic movement.

The first publishing of “Dorian Grey” was released in 1890, and was rejected by popular critics for being decadent and ‘homoerotic’ but nonetheless did not hinder Wilde on his cultural breakthrough. “Lady Windermere’s Fan”, his first play, debuted in 1892 and truly began to display Wilde’s signature sharpness and provided a vibrant social commentary against the ultra conservative pretenses of Victorian society. “The Importance of Being Earnest”, arguably his most prominently play and considered one of today’s literary masterpieces, hit main theatres in London by early 1895.

During this successful period of his career, Wilde became engaged in a love affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, known as ‘Bosie’. Bosie's father, the Marquess of Queensberry, was outraged and insisted legal action be pursued, and in 1895, left a calling card at Wilde’s home; accusing him of “posing as a sodomite [sic]” and lead to his arrest for sodomy and gross indecency. His name was struck from theaters, and he was sentenced to two years in a hard labour camp. The court trial truly paid homage to his courage and pride in the face of injustice and oppression. When questioned upon the “love that dare not speak its name” a euphemism for homosexuality, Wilde expressed; “It is that deep spiritual affection that is as pure as it is perfect. It dictates and pervades great works of art… It is beautiful, it is fine, it is the noblest form of affection… The world mocks at it, and sometimes puts one in the pillory for it.”

He spent his final years in great poverty and self-exile, but while much of his career had ceased, his charisma and mind had not and on one of his last trips out, he famously said to a friend; “My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One of us has got to go.” and he shortly passed after in Paris in 1900. Wilde’s strong beliefs within his sexuality and identity have made his works all the more vital. His refusal to conform, vivaciousness and unflappable spirit makes him iconic within popular culture, and gay history alike.

“To regret one’s own experiences is to arrest one’s own development. To deny one’s own experiences is to put a lie into the lips of one’s own life. It is no less than a denial of the soul.” - Oscar Wilde

[alittlegayhistoria]

Alan Bell:

Alan Bell remains one of the most prominent, vibrant voices within LGBT Journalism. Growing up in a religious household, Bell came out to his family when he moved over to New York to explore careers within the typesetting and magazine industry, which lead him to launch his career in producing and publishing for Gaysweek, a leading gay + lesbian newspaper.

Kickstarting in 1977, Gaysweek saw Alan Bell become the first black publisher within a mainstream gay publication. Bell felt it was important for the magazine to preserve the rich LGBT+ history of the time and it aimed to be a magazine for the entire community.

After Gaysweek began to subside, Bell continued to his groundbreaking work within queer journalism, starting BLK magazine in 1988 (running until 1994) which provided a much needed perspective and inclusivity for black gays and lesbians. Features included interviews with pioneers such as Audre Lorde and remembering passed over the works of gay activists (such as Sylvester), and covers such as indicating the best ten companies for black gay and lesbians to work for, which Bell personally attributes a lot of pride to.

Beyond his editorial and publishing work, he started Black Jack club for black gay men upon his return to Los Angeles which promoted sex positivity and safer sex and was, as Bell states, “a more practical version of addressing the AIDS crisis.” Throughout the 80’s, Bell hosted monthly sex parties which promoted sex positivity while also hosting demonstrations which educated inner-city gay communities on health and social factors.

Alan Bell continues his work, supporting many non-profit organizations, including the Minority AIDS Project, Magic Johnson Foundation and the Black AIDS institute. In 2015, Alan Bell was presented with an LGBT heritage award for his decades of works and was also inducted into the LGBT Journalist Hall of Fame.

[alittlegayhistoria]

José Sarria – December 12, 1923 – August 1, 2013

José Sarria was a famous drag performer and activist who holds the legacy of being the first openly gay candidate to run for public office.

The Black Cat Cafe, a San Francisco gay bar, was the kick-starting of Sarria’s performing career and his participation in the civil rights movement. Sarria’s shows united the gay community within San Francisco. They were energized, unapologetically campy and simultaneously discussed serious political messages. Sarria did these shows with pride, even in the face of the threat of the police and homophobic legislation of the time. The closing song “God Save Us Nelly Queens” of his shows made him famous.

When police raided gay bars, Sarria became an important source of support and mentoring. He told them to plead not guilty and demand a jury trial. Sarria also advised his fellow drag queens to wear labels saying “I am a boy” so the police could not convict them of intentional deception into thinking they were female.

1961 saw Sarria’s fight for a seat on the Board of Supervisors, the political body for the city of San Francisco. “Equality!” would be the defining word for his campaign, and saw him place 9th out of 30 candidates with 5,600 votes. Though he didn’t win, it demonstrated that a united gay voting bloc could create power and fight for gay representation within political systems. As a passionate supporter and friend of Harvey Milk’s, the success of Sarria created a foundation of empowerment for Milk’s election campaign , who became an elected supervisor in 1977.

Following his time at the Black Cat Tavern, Sarria had created community groups such as the League for Civil Education (which overturned laws preventing the selling of alcohol to gay people) as well as the Society for Individual rights, a society which allowed all voices of the community to be heard. He also cofounded the Imperial Court System, an international organisation supporting gay rights internationally that raises funding and helps those living with AIDS/HIV.              

José Sarria’s pride and passion for his identity and community was what mad his activism so powerful and his shows become so connecting for other queer people. “Why be ashamed of who you are?” truly encapsulates this sentiment and cements him with the greats within LGBT history.

[alittlegayhistoria]

Queer Nation – Founded in March 1990, (Main Founders – Tom Blewitt, Alan Klein, Michelangelo Signorile and Karl Soehnlein)

Queer Nation was one of the first direct-organization groups within gay rights movements. Outraged by the violence against the queer community expanding from the late 80’s to early 90’s, Queer Nation set its aims to erase homophobia, raise LGBT visibility and eliminate the prejudices against gay people in art and media. Employing radical tactics and holding a grass-roots style were vital to the group, as they wished to contrast assimilationist movements that existed before them.

Forms of protest included ‘Queer Nights Out’ – the entering of straight-dominated hangouts across America, in order to show that gay people would not be restricted to gay bars to socialize and have public displays of affection. Holding public programs – such as the 1990 “Queer Shopping Network” where members were costumed as stereotypes of gay/lesbian people seen within dominant media in front of shoppers at Newport Mall, offering leaflets containing information about the queer community, sex-positive tips and iconic figures. They also held mass demonstrations and marches in major cities, even in the face of homophobic bystanders who used a multitude of violent methods to try and quash the protests. They also protested popular chains that perpetuated homophobia, such as the famous Cracker Barrel restaurant chain.

One of the more controversial moves was the outing of many closeted public figures – as they wanted to let the wider LGBT community know that were gay people occupying important places within society. Many LGBTQ+ communities did not agree with this action, calling it far too confrontational and endangering those within the public eye.      

Redefining the word ‘queer’ is ultimately one of the most accredited things about Queer Nation, through them claiming it in their name, slogans and advertisements. It began to lift the oppressive connotations and ‘queer’ being used as a slur. ‘Queer’ became a badge of honour and pride for the movement, and encouraged the strength in many LGBT+ people’s identities. “WE’RE HERE, WE’RE QUEER, GET USED TO IT” was the group’s slogan, and ultimately encompasses their politics and nature.