Cannistraci remembers DeLarverie as walking “down the streets of Manhattan like a gay superhero… she was not to be messed with. Back then, cross-dressing was illegal and you could be arrested for wearing clothing that was not “gender-appropriate clothing.” Stormé DeLarverie rocks a suit. “I was doing it, and then other lesbians started doing it!” she said. She watched out for any “ugliness”-any form of intolerance, abuse, or bullying of her “baby girls.” DeLarverie could spot “ugly in a minute.” Later on, she would be recognized as a member of the Stonewall Veterans Association.ĭeLarverie even started a trend in New York by wearing suits, according to an interview she had with . DeLarverie was shaking and dehydrated, and she was taken to and treated at the nearby St. She began touring as a singer with jazz bands in 1939, and in 1955, she became the MC and only drag king in the Jewel Box Review, a traveling musical show of gender deception. In response to what happened in Stonewall, one year later, the very first Pride parade took place on Jin New York City.Īccording to the HuffPost, DeLarverie served the lesbian community as a volunteer street patrol worker all the way up until her 80s, retiring in the 2000s. Storm DeLarverie was a drag king and butch lesbian born in 1920 to a white father and a black mother. DeLarverie had fought back in self defense, stating that, “the cop hit me, I hit him back.” DeLarverie turned to the crowd, bleeding from the head, and shouted, “Why don’t you do something?!” As DeLarverie struggled while being dragged into a paddle wagon, the scene behind her exploded. She told me she did.”Īccording to HuffPost, it all started when DeLarverie was hit over the head with a billy club and was handcuffed. Photo Courtesy of the New York Times.ĭeLarverie’s legal guardian and owner of a lesbian bar in New York City’s West Village, Lisa Cannistraci told The New York Times, “No one knew who threw the first punch, but is rumored she did, and she said she did. Stormé DeLarverie in 1994 between two photos of herself. Stonewall was the birthplace of the Gay Liberation movement, which built a nation-wide network of activists fighting for queer rights. This event led to gay liberation movements and the ongoing fight for LGBTQIA+ rights in the United States. DeLaverie has been erased at times by popular depictions of Stonewall, and at Pride parades today, many straight allies don’t know the origins of the event they’re celebrating. This occurred when police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in Greenwich, New York. Stormé DeLarverie was a lifelong gay rights activist, singer, bodyguard, and drag performer, known as the spark that ignited the Stonewall Uprising. DeLarverie went on to work tirelessly for the LGBTQ+ community and women’s rights in general, organizing fundraising and benefits for women fleeing abuse. Stormé DeLarverie was born on Decemin New Orleans, Louisiana, to Black mother and a white father. Mira Ivanis, Contributor/Editor | February 14, 2021
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