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José Sarria

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José Sarria
File:JOSE1.jpg
José Sarria
BornDecember 12, 1922 or 1923
San Francisco, California
NationalityAmerican
Other namesThe Nightingale of Montgomery Street
Empress José I, The Widow Norton
Occupation(s)Waiter, singer, drag queen, LGBT rights activist, Founder of the Imperial Court System
Known forThe first openly gay candidate for public office in the United States

José Julio Sarria (b. December 12, 1922 or 1923[1]) is an American drag queen and political activist from San Francisco, California. Known for his years of performing at the historic Black Cat Bar in the 1950s and 1960s, Sarria entertained patrons with satirical versions of popular songs and operas. Sarria worked to encourage gay people of the era to be as open as possible and to resist police and societal harassment. Sarria co-founded the League for Civil Education, an early homophile organization, in the early 1960s. In 1961 he became the first openly gay candidate for public office in the United States when he ran for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. In 1962 he helped form the Tavern Guild to fight police oppression of gay bars. Sarria entertained at the Black Cat until its closure in 1963.

After the Black Cat closed, Sarria co-founded the Society for Individual Rights (SIR) in 1963. In 1964 Sarria declared himself "Empress José I, The Widow Norton." As Empress, Sarria founded the Imperial Court System, which grew to become an international association of charitable organizations. Serria reigned over the Courts for 43 years, before abdicating in 2007.

Early life

Sarria was born in San Francisco, California[2] to Maria Dolores Maldonado, who was at the time not married to his father, Julio Sarria. His family was of Spanish and Colombian origin.[3] His mother worked as a maid and Sarria was raised by another couple, Jesserina and Charles Millen.[4] Sarria attended the Emerson School for kindergarten and then, because he spoke only Spanish, was sent to private schools until learning English.[2] Sarria began dressing in female clothes at an early age and his family indulged him,[5] allowing him occasionally to go on family outings dressed as a girl.[2] In his youth he studied ballet and tap dancing.[6] He also studied singing, and as he matured his vocal range became high tenor.[4]

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Sarria became determined to join the military, despite being, at just under five feet tall,[4] too short to meet the Army's height requirement. He seduced a major who was attached to the San Francisco recruiting station, on the condition that the major approve Sarria's enlistment. Sarria was trained as a cook, eventually becoming an officer's assistant and running an officers' mess in occupied Germany. He was discharged from the Army in 1945.[7]

The Nightingale of Montgomery Street

Following his military service, Sarria returned to San Francisco. He enrolled in college with plans of becoming a teacher.[8] He and his sister began frequenting the Black Cat Bar, a center of the city's Beat and bohemian scene. Sarria and his sister both became smitten with a waiter named Jimmy Moore and bet as to which of them could get him into bed first. José won the bet, and soon Jimmy and he were lovers.[9] Sarria began covering for Moore when he was unable to work and soon Black Cat owner Sol Stoumen hired him as a cocktail waiter.

At around this time, Sarria was arrested for solicitation[3] in a sting operation at the St. Francis Hotel. Sarria, believing that his conviction meant he could never become certified as a teacher, dropped out of college.[8] Unsure of how to find work, he took the advice of a drag performer named Michelle and entered a drag contest at an Oakland bar called Pearl's. Sarria took second place, winning a two-week performance contract at the bar at $50 a week. "I decided then to be the most notorious impersonator or homosexual or fairy or whatever you wanted to call me–and you would pay me for it."[10] Returning to San Francisco, he picked up some small singing jobs while still cocktail waiting at the Black Cat.[11]

One night at the Black Cat, Sarria recognized the piano player's rendition of Bizet's opera Carmen and began singing arias from the opera while he delivered drinks.[12] This quickly led to a schedule of three to four shows a night, along with a regular Sunday afternoon show. Sarria was billed as "The Nightingale of Montgomery Street."[13] Initially he focused on singing parodies of popular torch songs. Soon, however, Sarria was performing full-blown parodic operas. His specialty was a re-working of Carmen set in modern-day San Francisco. Sarria as Carmen would prowl through the popular cruising area Union Square. The audience cheered "Carmen" on as she dodged the vice squad and made her escape.[14]

Sarria encouraged patrons to be as open and honest as possible. "People were living double lives and I didn't understand it. It was persecution. Why be ashamed of who you are?"[15] He exhorted the clientele, "There's nothing wrong with being gay–the crime is getting caught," and "United we stand, divided they catch us one by one."[12] At closing time he would lead patrons in singing "God Save Us Nelly Queens" to the tune of God Save the Queen. Sometimes he would lead the crowd outside to sing the final verse to the men across the street in jail, who had been arrested in raids earlier in the night.[12] Speaking of this ritual in the film Word is Out, gay journalist George Mendenhall said:

"It sounds silly, but if you lived at that time and had the oppression coming down from the police department and from society, there was nowhere to turn...and to be able to put your arms around other gay men and to be able to stand up and sing 'God Save Us Nelly Queens'...we were really not saying 'God Save Us Nelly Queens.' We were saying 'We have our rights, too.'"[16]

Sarria fought against police harassment, both of gays and of gay bars. Raids on gay bars were routine, with everyone inside the raided bar taken into custody and charged with such crimes as being "inmates in a disorderly house." Although the charges were routinely dropped, the arrested patrons' names, addresses and workplaces were printed in the newspapers.[17] When charges weren't dropped, the arrested men usually quietly pleaded guilty. Sarria encouraged men to plead "not guilty" and demand a jury trial.[12] Following Sarria's advice, more and more gay men began demanding jury trials, so many that court dockets were overloaded and judges began expecting that prosecutors have actual evidence against the accused before going to trial.[18] One favored harassment technique, employed especially on Halloween after midnight, was to arrest drag queens under an old city ordinance that made it illegal for a man to dress in women's clothing with an "intention to deceive." In consultation with attorney Melvin Belli, Sarria countered this tactic by distributing labels to his fellow drag queens to wear that read "I am a boy." If confronted, the queen would simply display the tag to prove that there was no intention to deceive. Sarria's actions helped bring an end to Halloween police raids.[19]

Along with Guy Strait, Sarria formed the League for Civil Education (LCE) in 1960[8] or 1961.[20] The LCE ran educational programs on the topic of homosexuality and provided support for men being ostracized for being gay and for those caught in police raids.[21] Sarria ran for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1961, the first openly gay candidate for public office in the United States.[22] Although Sarria never expected to win[15] he almost did win by default. On the last day for candidates to file petitions, city officials realized that there were fewer than five candidates running for the five open seats, which would have guaranteed Sarria a seat. By the end of the day, a total of 34 candidates had filed.[23] LCE co-founder Strait began printing the LCE News in part to support Sarria's candidacy.[24] Sarria garnered some 6,000 votes in the city-wide race,[22] finishing 9th.[15] This was not enough to win a seat but was enough to shock political pundits and set in motion the idea that a gay voting bloc could wield real power in city politics.[25] "[He] put the gay vote on the map," said Terence Kissack, executive director of the GLBT Historical Society. "He made it visible and showed there was a constituency."[15]

In 1962, Sarria along with bar owners and employees formed the Tavern Guild, the country's first gay business association.[26] The Guild raised money for legal fees and bail for people arrested at gay bars and helped bar owners coordinate their response to the harassment of the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and the police.[27]

Sarria continued to perform and agitate at the Black Cat until, after some 15 years of unrelenting police pressure, the bar finally closed for good in 1963.[28]

The Widow Norton

Following the demise of the Black Cat, Sarria helped found the Society for Individual Rights (SIR) in 1963. Among other activities, SIR, in association with the Tavern Guild, printed and distributed "Pocket Lawyers." These pocket-sized guides offered advice on what to do if arrested or harasssed by police.[29]

Crowned Queen of the Beaux Arts Ball in 1964 by the Tavern Guild, Sarria, stating that he was "already a queen," proclaimed himself "Her Royal Majesty, Empress of San Francisco, Jose I, The Widow Norton." Sarria devised the name "Widow Norton" as a reference to the much-celebrated citizen of 19th century San Francisco, Joshua Norton, who had declared himself Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico in 1859.[30] Sarria organized elaborate annual pilgrimages to lay flowers on Norton's grave in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Colma, California.[31] He has purchased a plot adjacent to Norton's and plans to be interred there.[32]

Sarria's assumption of the title of Empress led to the establishment of the Imperial Court System, a network of non-profit charitable organizations throughout the United States and Canada that raise money for various beneficiaries. Sarria is much revered within the hierarchy of the Imperial Court System and is affectionately and informally known as "Mama" or "Mama José" among Imperial Court members. The "José Honors Awards" are presented to Imperial Court dignitaries and others in an annual banquet held in Sarria's honor. Sarria and members of the Imperial Court appear along with other notable drag queens in the opening scenes of the movie To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995).

In 2005, Sarria found himself at the center of a legal controversy over his role on the jury in the 1991 murder trial of Clifford Bolden. Bolden had been sentenced to death in 1991 for the 1986 murder of Henry Michael Pederson, whom Bolden allegedly picked up in a Castro bar. Bolden's attorneys claimed that Sarria, who was not on the jury that convicted Bolden but was seated as an alternate for the penalty phase, had known Bolden's lover, Pederson and another of the jurors. They alleged that he had concealed this knowledge in order to remain on the jury and push for a death sentence. Sarria acknowledged having spoken occasionally with the other juror but denied the rest of the allegations.[33] Sarria was cleared of wrongdoing in February 2008.[34]

On May 25, 2006, Sarria's lifetime of activism was commemorated when the city of San Francisco renamed a section of 16th Street in the Castro "José Sarria Court."[13]

Sarria reigned over the Imperial Court System until February 17, 2007, abdicating the throne in favor of his first heir apparent, Nicole Murray-Ramirez, who assumed the title Empress Nicole the Great, Queen Mother of the Americas.[35] Sarria resides in Palm Springs, California.[30]

Notes

  1. ^ Pettis, Ruth M (2004). "Sarria, Jose (1923?)". glbtq. Retrieved 2008-06-25. His birth certificate states December 12, 1923, but Sarria suspects that his mother added a year to deflect attention from her unmarried state.
  2. ^ a b c Boyd p. 20
  3. ^ a b Aldrich, et. al. p. 370
  4. ^ a b c Bullough p. 376
  5. ^ Shilts p. 51
  6. ^ Boyd p. 22
  7. ^ Bullough pp. 376-7
  8. ^ a b c Bullough p. 377
  9. ^ Shilts pp. 51-2
  10. ^ Loughery p. 216
  11. ^ Boyd p. 21
  12. ^ a b c d Shilts p. 52
  13. ^ a b Dufty, Bevan (2006-05-26). "Honoring a gay pioneer's contribution to San Francisco". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
  14. ^ D'Emilio p. 187
  15. ^ a b c d Olsen, David (2006-05-24). "'Why be ashamed?' Desert resident was first openly gay political candidate". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
  16. ^ Quoted in Miller p. 347
  17. ^ Shilts p. 54
  18. ^ Shilts p. 53
  19. ^ Bullough p. 377
  20. ^ Marcus p. 136
  21. ^ Bullough p. 378
  22. ^ a b Miller p. 347
  23. ^ Witt, et. al. p. 8
  24. ^ Carter 104
  25. ^ Shilts pp. 56-7
  26. ^ Bullough p. 157
  27. ^ D'Emilio p. 189
  28. ^ Shilts p. 57
  29. ^ D'Emilio p. 191
  30. ^ a b Nash, Tammye (2007-10-12). "Jose Sarria: Activist Empress". Dallas Voice. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
  31. ^ Vigil, Delfin (2005-02-21). "A gay court pays homage to its queer emperor". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
  32. ^ Montanarelli, et. al. non-numbered page
  33. ^ Van Derbeken, Jaxon (2005-07-17). "Death Row juror alleged to have secret vendetta". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
  34. ^ Graham, S (2008-02-13). "Judge: S.F. drag queen did not taint death case". ALM Research. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
  35. ^ Baldwin, Anthony (2006-11-02). "Imperial Court System founder Jose Sarria steps down". Gay & Lesbian Times. Retrieved 2008-06-25.

References

  • Aldrich, Robert & Garry Wotherspoon (2000). Who's Who in Contemporary Gay and Lesbian History: From World War II to the Present Day. Routledge. ISBN 041522974X.
  • Boyd, Nan Alamilla (2003). Wide-open Town: A History of Queer San Francisco to 1965. University of California Press. ISBN 0520204158.
  • Bullough, Vern L. (2002). Before Stonewall: Activists for Gay and Lesbian Rights in Historical Context. New York, Haworth Press. ISBN 1560231939.
  • Carter, David (2005). Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution. New York, MacMillan. ISBN 0312342691.
  • D'Emilio, John (1983). Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities: The Making of a Homosexual Minority in the United States, 1940-1970. Chicago, University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226142655.
  • Loughery, John (1998). The Other Side of Silence: Men's Lives and Gay Identities: A Twentieth Century History. New York, Harry Holt & Company. ISBN 0805038965.
  • Marcus, Eric (1992). Making History: The Struggle for Gay and Lesbian Equal Rights 1945 - 1990, An Oral History. New York, HarperCollins. ISBN 0060167084.
  • Montanarelli, Lisa, & Ann Harrison (2005). Strange But True San Francisco: Tales of the City by the Bay. San Francisco, Globe Pequot. ISBN 076273681X.
  • Shilts, Randy (1982). The Mayor of Castro Street. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0312523319.
  • Witt, Lynn, Sherry Thomas & Eric Marcus (1995). Out in All Directions: The Almanac of Gay and Lesbian America. New York, Warner Books. ISBN 0446672378.
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