José Sarria papers
Finding aid created by GLBT Historical Society staff using RecordEXPRESS
GLBT Historical Society
2023
989 Market Street, Lower Level
San Francisco, California 94103
(415) 777-5455
reference@glbthistory.org
http://www.glbthistory.org/
Title: José
Sarria
papers
papers
Dates: 1900-2013 (bulk 1960-2010)
Collection Number: 1996-01
Creator/Collector:
Extent: 2 cartons, 130 boxes, (17 oversize boxes) (65 linear feet)
Online items available
Repository:
GLBT Historical Society
San Francisco, California 94103
Abstract: The José
Sarria
Papers include biographical material, correspondence, photographs, ephemera, artifacts and costumes documenting his career
as an entertainer and activist in San Francisco over more than half a century.
Sarria
Papers include biographical material, correspondence, photographs, ephemera, artifacts and costumes documenting his career
as an entertainer and activist in San Francisco over more than half a century.
Language of Material: English
Collection is open for research. Funding for processing this collection was provided by the Council on Library and Information
Resources (CLIR).
Copyright to unpublished manuscript materials that José
Sarria
was the owner of has been transferred to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society.
Sarria
was the owner of has been transferred to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society.
[Identification of item]. José
Sarria
papers. Collection Number: 1996-01. GLBT Historical Society
Sarria
papers. Collection Number: 1996-01. GLBT Historical Society
Gift of José Julio
Sarria
in February 2001 and September 2012.
Sarria
in February 2001 and September 2012.
Biography/Administrative History
José Julio
Sarria
was born December 12, 1923 at St. Francis Hospital in San Francisco. He was best known as a performer and a pioneer in the
gay rights movement, most notably as the first openly gay candidate in the United States to run for public office in 1961.
He was a founding member of the League for Civil Education (LCE), the Society for Individual Rights (SIR) and the Tavern Guild.
Crowned Queen of the Beaux Arts Ball in 1964 by the Tavern Guild,
Sarria
proclaimed himself “Her Royal Majesty, Empress of San Francisco, José I, The Widow Norton” and soon thereafter established
the Imperial Court System, a network of non-profit charitable organizations throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Sarria
died of adrenal cancer on August 19, 2013, at his home in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Sarria
was born December 12, 1923 at St. Francis Hospital in San Francisco. He was best known as a performer and a pioneer in the
gay rights movement, most notably as the first openly gay candidate in the United States to run for public office in 1961.
He was a founding member of the League for Civil Education (LCE), the Society for Individual Rights (SIR) and the Tavern Guild.
Crowned Queen of the Beaux Arts Ball in 1964 by the Tavern Guild,
Sarria
proclaimed himself “Her Royal Majesty, Empress of San Francisco, José I, The Widow Norton” and soon thereafter established
the Imperial Court System, a network of non-profit charitable organizations throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Sarria
died of adrenal cancer on August 19, 2013, at his home in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Scope and Content of Collection
The José
Sarria
Papers include biographical material, correspondence, photographs, ephemera, artifacts and costumes documenting his career
as an entertainer and activist in San Francisco over more than half a century. 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. GSSO Linked Terms: http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_000374; http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_001443;
http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_008511; http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_007641; http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_008517;
http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_008531; http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_008536; http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_003201;
http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_001826
Sarria
Papers include biographical material, correspondence, photographs, ephemera, artifacts and costumes documenting his career
as an entertainer and activist in San Francisco over more than half a century. 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. GSSO Linked Terms: http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_000374; http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_001443;
http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_008511; http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_007641; http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_008517;
http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_008531; http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_008536; http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_003201;
http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_001826
Gay men
Drag
Imperial Court System
Latinx people
Nightlife
Stand-up comedy
World War, 1939-1945
Politics and elections
Latinos
Amateur film
Imperial Court of San Francisco
-
Container List for the José
Sarria
Papers
[ 53 hits]