Shortly after Stonewall, DeLarverie’s girlfriend of 25 years, a dancer named Diana, passed away, and DeLarverie left entertaining almost entirely. Nonetheless, these events gave greater momentum to the gay rights movement in the U.S., and DeLarverie is today revered for her monumental contributions to the gay rights movement. But her presence there turned her into an icon in LGBTQ+ history after the riots - which she felt were not so much riots but an act of disobedience and rebellion, she would say later. There’s still some debate about whether she was the “cross-dressing lesbian” who threw the first punch that initiated the event (ostensibly at a cop who told her to “ Move along, faggot,” because he apparently thought she was a man).
Then, in summer 1969, the historic Stonewall uprising happened. Dressing in traditionally masculine attire, she may have inspired other lesbians of the era in New York to do the same. At the time, DeLarverie was the emcee, musical director, and occasional stage manager of the Jewel Box Revue, a touring drag cabaret known for its slogan “25 Men and One Girl” they performed three or four shows a day at famous nightclubs and venues in New York City and across the country.ĭeLarverie became so celebrated that she began circulating in highly respected crowds, among the likes of Dinah Washington and Billie Holiday. The image, titled Miss Stormé de Larverie, the Lady Who Appears to be a Gentleman, N.Y.C., was taken in 1961. In the image, DeLarverie sits elegantly on a park bench in a slim-cut suit, one leg crossed over the other, with shiny black ankle boots on her feet and a hand bearing both a glimmering pinky ring and the very end of a cigarette. There are several well-known photographs of Stormé DeLarverie (pronounced, as she puts it in the documentary short Stormé: The Lady of the Jewel Box, “Storm De-Lah-vee-yay”), but perhaps the most famous was shot by none other than legendary portraitist Diane Arbus. “Drag Herstory” will focus on iconic drag performers throughout history, providing essential knowledge about the world beyond Drag Race*.* RuPaul’s Drag Race has made drag more popular than ever - but as much as we love the queens on screen, it’s important to know the drag legends who paved their way, making the art form what it is today.
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