#the jewel box revue

[femmepathy]

Stormé DeLarverie singing "There Will Never Be Another You" in Michelle Parkerson's "Stormé: The Lady of the Jewel Box" (1987)

full doc available now on the internet archive!

#Stormé DeLarverie #Stormé #lesbian #drag king #pre-stonewall #joan nestle #drag #jewel box revue #mine #michelle parkerson #butch #masc

[catastrfy]

Stormé DeLarverié  and pronouns

Please do remember that Stormé DeLarverié's only preference for pronouns was that people use "whatever makes YOU the most comfortable". This is documented in print back to at least the 1960s*. And per her friends who I interviewed during my research for storme-delarverie.com, that did not change in her lifetime. Her friends who I've connected with all used "her". Other friends & neighbors have publicly used "they" or "he". Which means they all used what made them the most comfortable, which is exactly what Stormé wanted. * Avery Willard's book Female Impersonation was published in 1971, but his interview with Stormé (the only male impersonator he interviewed) was done while she was working with the Jewel Box Revue. That dates it to before 7 September 1969. The Avery Willard photos in Stormé's personal collection were taken in Central Park in late fall or early winter, which dates the interview to 1968 or earlier.

#Stormé DeLarverié #queer history #Jewel Box Revue #queer community

[radiofreederry]

Happy birthday, Stormé DeLarverie! (December 24, 1920)

An icon of the gay rights movement, Stormé DeLarverie was born to a wealthy white man and one of his Black servants in New Orleans. Her mixed race background led to a great deal of bullying and discrimination when she was young, and she eventually came to New York and performed as a drag king with the Jewel Box Revue sometime after coming to realize her identity as a butch lesbian. She was known and loved as a protector of other lesbians, the "guardian of the Village," and was present for the Stonewall Rebellion; by some accounts her arrest and altercation with the police was the spark which lit the flame of the rebellion. After Stonewall, DeLarverie continued to fight for gay rights, and was a fixture of New York's lesbian bars, often working as a bouncer. She suffered from dementia late in life, and died in 2014.

#birthdays #storme delarverie

[jesterlesbian]

From Ron Nyswaner (show creator and writer for Fellow Travelers)

"Fellow Travelers: What inspired you to create the love story between Marcus (Jelani Alladin) and Frankie (Noah J. Ricketts) for the series? Very early on, I decided there would be Black characters in the show and they would be essential to the story, not incidental. While researching life in 1950s Washington, we (my research and writing team) were impressed by the vitality of the Black LGBTQ community, learning about the Cozy Corner and Stormé DeLarverie (Chelsea Russell). We put Stormé into the Cozy. We landed on Marcus as a former lover of Hawk’s and fellow WWII vet. Each man views himself as a “man who fucks men” and neither is comfortable with love. It seemed natural that Marcus and Hawk would connect at the Cozy Corner, where Marcus would meet Frankie, a member of Stormé’s Jewel Box Revue. (Note: Jelani and Noah are incredible singers and Broadway musical stars.) In the 1950s, the “Black press” was thriving. Among the Black reporters who inspired Marcus (in terms of his career, not his sexuality): Alice Dunnigan, the first Black female White House correspondent and Simeon Booker, the first Black reporter for the Washington Post. It was very important to us that Marcus be complicated and flawed. Marcus has a compelling dilemma. He wants to use his writing talent to serve his Black community and he fears that being labelled as LGBTQ will make that impossible. Like Hawk, he likes sex and avoids love. Then he meets Frankie, who can’t so easily hide who he is (the term nonbinary didn’t exist until recently, so we avoided using it). In some ways, Marcus is aligned with Hank (avoiding love) and Frankie is aligned with Tim (“the more loving one”). Matt and Jelani created a terrific backstory about the two of them meeting while recovering from the war, but that story didn’t make it into the final cut."

#fellow travelers #marcus gaines #frankie hines #jelani alladin #noah j. ricketts #tv: fellow travelers

[handsomegeniusoffline]

1. Westboro Baptist Church girl standing on the flag, photographer unknown

2. "Dyke" 1993, Catherine Opie

3. Police conduct a raid at the Stonewall Inn in New York on June 28, 1969, Getty Images

4. Portrait of Marsha P. Johnson, photographer unknown

5. IF I DIE OF AIDS-FORGET BURIAL-JUST DROP MY BODY ON THE STEPS OF THE F.D.A 1988, David Wojnarowicz

6. Stormé DeLarverie, The Jewel Box Revue

7. Original pride flag by Gilbert Baker on display at the GLBT Historical Society Museum in San Francisco

8. The first legal same-sex marriage ceremony in the USA, February 12, 2004, between Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, Liz Mangelsdorf/The Chronicle

Images created using colored pencils and sticker paper, all 3x3" or smaller.

[crunchyspacepeanutbutter]

Black Queer History Day 2

Stormé DeLarverie

Stormé was born to a black mother and wealthy white father. Growing up, she was bullied by white kids and black kids alike "for being a negro with a white face". Stormé's baritone voice earned her a career as a singer in New York, as the lone drag king in the Jewel Box Revue, the first racially integrated drag revue in North America. Stormé first had a policy of dressing like a man on stage and a woman in public, but after being arrested twice for being a drag queen she began presenting as male in public. Legend has it that Stormé's arrest for dressing as a man began the Stonewall Uprising, as the "butch lesbian" reported to have fought back against the police inspiring others to do the same. Stormé was referred to as the "Rosa Parks of the gay community", and worked to protect the New York queer community well into her 80s, serving as a bouncer at lesbian bars. Stormé referred to herself as "the guardian of the lesbians in the Village", patrolling the streets with a gun and looking out for any "ugliness" affecting queers and youth. She died in 2014 at the age of 93.

#black history matters #black history month #black history #black woman appreciation #lgbtq #lgbt pride #lgbt history #stone wall #storme delarverie

[petervintonjr]

Today we celebrate the life of Stormé DeLarverie, the affectionately-named "Rosa Parks of the gay community" who may or may not have actually thrown the first punch on June 27, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village (see Lesson #94 for more about this key event). While actual accounts conflict, DeLarverie herself would on occasion make this claim, however she also chafed at the idea of naming the Stonewall Uprising a riot; such a word, to her, changed the narrative and permitted the agitators to drive the story, not the victims. "It was a rebellion, it was an uprising, it was a civil rights disobedience," she would agree, but "it wasn't no damn riot."

Born in 1920 New Orleans on an unknown date (she would later claim December 24th as her birthday), DeLarverie's African-American mother was in fact a household servant to her white father. Her parents later married and the family moved to California, but she was ultimately mostly raised by her grandfather. Not unexpectedly, Delarverie endured more than her share of bullying and harassment from other schoolchildren, due not only to her mixed race but also her tall and lean androgynous looks --which would later work to her advantage; being able to pass for either white or Black, woman or man. For a time she rode horses with the Ringling Brothers Circus but stopped after a fall. She came out as lesbian at the age of eighteen, and remained in a committed relationship with a dancer named Diana, until Diana's death in the mid-1970's.

Between 1955 and 1969 DeLarverie was the featured emcee of the touring Jewel Box Revue, significant as one of the first-ever integrated drag revues, showcasing both black and white entertainers. The revue featured men in drag, though DeLarverie was the only male impersonator: one popular gimmick was to encourage audiences to try to guess who the "one girl" was from among the revue performers. At the end Stormé would reveal herself as a woman during a musical number called, "A Surprise with a Song," often wearing tailored suits and sometimes even a moustache that made her unidentifiable. The Jewel Box Revue also drew integrated crowds of both black and white audiences, and was even featured at Radio City Music Hall and at Harlem's famed Apollo Theater.

Only a few weeks after Stonewall, on July 11, 1969, DeLarverie was one of the founding members of the Stonewall Veterans' Association, and remained an active member for many years, ultimately serving as its Vice-President from 1998 to 2000. Throughout the 1980's and the 1990's she patrolled gay and lesbian clubs and bars on lower Seventh and Eighth avenues, ever vigilant and on the lookout for anti-gay and anti-black intolerance, a responsibility she took seriously until she reached her mid-eighties. She was a regular at New York's annual Pride parade, was honored at the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture, and received a proclamation from then-Public Advocate (now State Attorney General) Letitia James.

For further viewing: Stormé: The Lady of the Jewel Box, a 1987 film directed by Michelle Parkerson.

"Something Like A Super-Lesbian:" Stormé's May 2014 obituary at https://hello40s.com/2014/05/28/something-like-a-super-lesbian-storme-delarverie-in-memoriam/

#black lives matter #dothework #teachtruth #pride month #pride #storme delarverie

[childishillustrator]

my dad and i where talking about how one of his openly gay friends didn't like the progress LGBTQIA+ flag because it included POC. He said 'why should there be a distinction for a community thats based for people who are queer in gender and sexuality?'. unfortunately i didnt get to talk to the guy, but my dad was trying to defend his friends position. since a lot of white gays dont know how much POC have helped our community so im gonna give a couple names that have helped the LGBTQ+ community.

Gladys Bentley (1907-1960)

Bentley was a gender-bending performer during the Harlem Renaissance. Donning a top hat and tuxedo, Bentley would sing the blues in Harlem establishments like the Clam House and the Ubangi Club. According to a belated obituary published in 2019, The New York Times said Bentley, who died in 1960 at the age of 52, was "Harlem's most famous lesbian" in the 1930s and "among the best-known Black entertainers in the United States."

Bayard Rustin (1912-1987)

Rustin was an LGBTQ and civil rights activist best known for being a key adviser to Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. He organized the 1963 March on Washington and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in 2013 for his activism. In 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom pardoned Rustin for his arrest in 1953 when he was found having sex with two men in a parked car in Pasadena. Rustin served 50 days in Los Angeles County jail and had to register as a sex offender. In pardoning Rustin, Newsom noted how LGBTQ people were unjustly punished for their sexuality by U.S. law enforcement at the time Rustin's arrest.

Stormé DeLarverie (1920-2014)

A biracial, butch lesbian, DeLarverie was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and was always a performer. As a teenager, she joined the Ringling Brothers Circus where she rode jumping horses. Then from 1955 to 1969, DeLarverie toured the Black theater circuit as the MC — and only drag king — of the Jewel Box Revue, the first racially integrated drag revue in North America. She worked as a bouncer for several lesbian bars in New York City in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and held a number of leadership positions in the Stonewall Veterans Association. DeLarverie also served the community as a volunteer street patrol worker, and as a result, was called the "guardian of lesbians in the Village." Beyond her LGBTQ activism, DeLarverie also organized and performed at fundraisers for women who suffered from domestic violence and their children.

Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992)

Marsha P. Johnson — who would cheekily tell people the "P" stood for "pay it no mind" — was an outspoken transgender rights activist and is reported to be one of the central figures of the historic Stonewall uprising of 1969. Along with fellow trans activist Sylvia Rivera, Johnson helped form Street Transgender Action Revolutionaries (STAR), a radical political organization that provided housing and other forms of support to homeless queer youth and sex workers in Manhattan. She also performed with the drag performance troupe Hot Peaches from 1972 through the ‘90s and was an AIDS activist with AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP).

these are just 4 of the 16 from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1130856 . there is rich history that POC's history and LGBTQ's intertwine. we as white queer people need to do our research on our own community. its important to understand why intersectionality is so important. unfortunately white gays are the worst offenders of this and need to be informed of their own history.

#lgbtq #pride #lgbtqiia+ #pride month #trans #transgender #nonbinary #trans positivity #trans pride #lgbtqplus #intersectional activism #intersectionality #interstitial #gay #lesbians #bisexaul #lgbt #queer #pan

[valkyries-things]

STORMÉ DELARVERIE // ACTIVIST

“She was bi-racial butch lesbian and activist. She co-founded the Jewel Box Revue, North America’s first racially integrated drag touring company. DeLarverie was the only drag king, always wearing a white tuxedo. She was at the Stonewall Inn during the riots and is said to have started the uprising. When police raided the Stonewall Inn, an officer pushed DeLarverie. They punched her in the face as a result, which led to four officers attacking and handcuffing them. When an officer hit DeLarverie in the head with a baton, the rioting began. She played an instrumental role in igniting the Stonewall Riots.”

#female history #storme delarverie #stone wall #lgbt history #women’s history month

[managician-tls]

[TL] Planetarium Revue - ENG lyrics

I started playing YumeSute. Gingaza is my favourite group so far, and I love their intro song, so I wanted to share it with others, as the lyrics are very beautiful.

Find kanji + romaji + English under the cut. If you prefer, you can check out the lyrics video that I edited!

Lyrics: Matsui Yohei Composing & Arrangement: SUPA LOVE

T/N: Some sentences have had their order shuffled in English for better readability. These will be marked with matching numbers so you can understand what lines were swapped!

宝石箱をそっと開くような houseki bako wo sotto hiraku youna As if you gently opened a jewelry box

予感に胸は震えるだろう yokan ni mune wa furueru darou Your heart will tremble with anticipation

君の瞳の瞬きさえ奪う kimi no hitomi no mabataki sae ubau We won't let you blink even once

色とりどりの星ここに集う irotoridori no hoshi koko ni tsudou Stars of all colours and shapes gather here

美しき星空へようこそ utsukushiki hoshizora e youkoso Welcome to the beautiful starry sky

幾千の輝きが踊る舞台 ikusen no kagayaki ga odoru butai A stage where thousands of sparkles dance about

88の星座も知らない物語の世界へ hachijuuhachi no seiza mo shiranai monogatari no sekai e We'll take that heart of yours along [1]

その心を連れて行こう sono kokoro wo tsurete ikou To a world with stories even the 88 constellations don't know of [1]

銀河は今、輝き出す　ヴィロードの幕を開けて ginga wa ima, kagayaki dasu viirodo no maku wo akete Right now the galaxy's shining bright, opening the velvet curtain

レヴューというプラネタリウム歌声が降り注ぐ rebyuu to iu puranetariumu utagoe ga furisosogu In this Planetarium called Revue, singing voices pour down without end

何世紀も焦がれてきた愛という戯曲さえ nanseiki mo kogarete kita ai to iu gikyoku sae Even that play called "love" that you've been longing for for centuries abound

生まれ変わる瞬間に君はきっと出逢うだろう umarekawaru shunkan ni kimi wa kitto deau darou The moment it's reborn, you'll surely meet with it

君は涙するだろう kimi wa namida suru darou You'll shed tears for it

-♪-

夢のひとひら儚い蜃気楼 yume no hitohira hakanai shinkirou A petal of a dream, a fleeting mirage

残り香を求めて彷徨うなら nokoriga wo motomete samayou nara If you're wandering around looking for that lingering scent

馨しき花園へ誘おう kaguwashiki hanazono e youkoso Let me invite you to a fragrant flower garden

消えない幻想が咲き誇る舞台 kienai gensou ga sakihokoru butai A stage where unfading fantasies lie in full bloom

蕾が華を開く姿はかけがえない刹那を tsubomi ga hana wo hiraku sugata wa kakegaenai setsuna wo The sight of flowers blooming is an irreplaceable, ephemeral moment

より彩って永遠に響く yori irodotte eien ni hibiku It's very colourful and resonates for all eternity

-♪-

ただ一度きりだけの繰り返しのない日々の tada ichido kiri dake no kurikaeshi no nai hibi no Go draw the joys and the sorrows [2]

喜びを、嘆きを、描いていく yorokobi wo, nageki wo, egaite iku From those days that only come once, without repetition [2]

嗚呼、人生という宇宙を飾っていく感動の世界へ aa, jinsei to iu uchuu wo kazatte iku kandou no sekai he Ah, we'll take that heart of yours along [3]

その心を連れて行くよ sono kokoro wo tsureteiku yo To the world of passions that graces this universe called "life" [3]

銀河の輝きはレヴューというプラネタリウム ginga no kagayaki wa rebyuu to iu puranetariumu The radiance of the galaxy is a Planetarium called Revue

見つめている瞳に星々は降り注ぐ mitsumete iru hitomi ni hoshiboshi wa furisosogu From those eyes watching intently, stars and planets pour down without end

宝石の美しさに花々の馨しさに houseki no utsukushisani hanabana no kaguwashisa ni In the beauty of the jewels and the fragrance of the flowers

瞬きも忘れるだろう君は息を飲むだろう mabataki mo wasureru darou kimi wa iki wo nomu darou You'll forget to even blink, you'll have your breath taken away

何世紀も受け継がれた愛という戯曲さえ nanseiki mo uketsugareta ai to iu gikyoku sae Even the play called "love" that has been passed down for centuries abound

生まれ変わる瞬間に君はきっと出逢うだろう umarekawaru shunkan ni kimi wa kitto deau darou The moment it's reborn, you'll surely meet with it

君は涙するだろう胸は震えるだろう kimi wa namida suru darou mune ga furueru darou You'll shed tears for it, your heart will tremble for it

#yumesute #wds #world dai star #gingaza #*yumesute: song #*yumesute: gingaza #*date: 2023 #Youtube

[worlddaikokonat]

Official World Dai Star lyric video for Planetarium Revue, translated lyrics (DeepL) under the cut.

Like softly opening a jewellery box. My heart will tremble at the premonition. Even the blink of your eye is stolen The multicoloured stars gather here

Welcome to the beautiful starry sky A stage on which thousands of sparkles dance To a world of stories where the 88 constellations are unknown Let me take your heart with me

The galaxy shines forth now, opening the curtain of the velvet road The planetarium of the revue, where the voices of the singers pour down Even the play called love, for which you have longed for centuries You will meet the moment of rebirth You will weep

A dream, a flutter, a fleeting mirage If you wander in search of a lingering scent

I invite you to the fragrant garden A stage where indelible illusions bloom in full glory The sight of a bud blossoming into a flower is an irreplaceable moment More colourful and echoing forever

The only once and only once of the days without repetition I paint the joys and sorrows Ah, to the world of emotion that adorns the universe called life I'll take that heart with me

The galaxy shines in the planetarium of the revue Stars pour down on the gazing eyes The beauty of jewels, the fragrance of flowers You'll forget to blink, you'll be breathless Even the play of love that has been passed down for centuries In the moment of rebirth you'll meet You'll weep, your heart will tremble

#world dai star #lyric video #video #gingaza #Youtube

[dykestache]

y’all ever think about how you’ll never get to see the jewel box revue perform live in a sultry little underground homo joint and crumple into a sad little ball on the floor . or is it just me

[catastrfy]

Shared with Robin DeLisle's permission! Thank you, Robin

#Drag History #Jewel Box Revue #Chunga Ochoa #Nancy DeLisle Terry #Storme DeLarverie

[worktonki]

Storme delarverie

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.

#Storme delarverie

[genderoutlaws]

Stormé DeLarverié performing with The Jewel Box Revue

Photo by Nancy Terry | c. 1963

#op #photography #storme delarverie #nancy terry #the jewel box revue #1960s #1963 #stonewall veterans #drag #l #tgnc #butch tag

[curtisandlewis]

Pictured above is Sammy Davis Jr. with a small part of the cast of the drag show Jewel Box Revue. Black Trans Activist Miss Major Griffin Gracy who also was one of the originators of the Stonewall Riots (the origin of the pride we celebrate now) is sadly not in the the picture with Sammy but as you can see from the picture below Sammy’s was a cast member as was Mal Michels. Miss Major is quoted as saying Mal was “the first major black act” Originally they were going to perform together but were told the Revue didn’t want two black acts. And another Stonewall OG is drag king performer Storme DeLarverie who served as The Jewel Box Revue MC  

You can find more out about the Jewel Box Revue and the incredible Miss Major Griffin Gracy in her documentary Major! now available in Amazon Prime.

HAPPY PRIDE!!!

#Sammy Davis Jr #Miss Major Griffin Gracy #Mal Michels #Storme DeLarverie #The Jewel Box Revue #stonewall riots #Pride #LGBT Pride #jerrylevitch #fuzzysebastainstan #anarchistemma #My Screencap #Major! #this took a very long time...