José Sarria papers, 1900-2013

Format:

Book

Series:

Archives of Sexuality and Gender: Community and Identity in North America.

Archives of Sexuality and Gender: Community and Identity in North America

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sarria, José--Archives.

Sarria, José.

International Imperial Court System (IICS).

Homosexuality--Societies, etc.

Homosexuality.

LGBT activism--United States.

LGBT activism.

Gay rights--United States.

Gay rights.

Gay people and the performing arts--United States.

Gay people and the performing arts.

LGBTQ+ activism.

LGBTQ+ civil rights.

Monosexuality.

Sexual orientation.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (1,049 manuscripts) : illustrations.

Place of Publication:

1900

Summary:

José Julio Sarria (December 13, 1922-August 19, 2013) was a drag performer, politician, and community leader. After serving in the Second World War and dropping out of college because a solicitation arrest made it impossible for him to work as a teacher, Sarria became a cocktail waiter at the Black Cat, a bohemian bar with a largely gay clientele. There, he became locally famous for his opera parodies and his outspoken gay pride. He ended each performance with a song called "God Save Us Nelly Queens." In 1961, Sarria ran for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors -- the first LGBTQ person to run for office in the United States -- and in 1965, he founded the Imperial Court System, a queer charitable organization known for the elaborate courtly titles and pageantry adopted by its members. Taking his name from fellow San Francisco icon Joshua Norton, a nineteenth-century eccentric who in 1859 declared himself "Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico," Sarria adopted the Court persona of Empress José I, the Widow Norton. The collection includes memorabilia, costumes and photos related to Sarria's opera performances at the Black Cat Café and many other venues in the city. It contains founding papers for the League for Civil Education, the Society for Individual Rights, and the Tavern Guild, organizations Sarria helped form in the early 1960s. There is also a small amount of material related to his historic run for the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco in 1961. A major part of the collection is made up of materials relating to the history of the Imperial Court System, also known as the International Court System, which Sarria founded in 1965. The Court, one of the oldest and largest LGBT organizations in the world, raises money for charitable causes throughout North America.

Throughout Archives of Sexuality and Gender you will find language and terminology you might consider offensive. You will also find images that may be graphic or pornographic. MiFhGG

Notes:

Date range: 1900-2013 (bulk 1960-2010).

Includes the following publications: Playbills; Tavern Guild : Beaux Arts Ball; Obituaries; Early emperors of San Francisco; Fields jewelers; and others.

Reproduction of the original from El Colegio de México, Biblioteca Daniel Cosío Villegas.

OCLC:

1504734827