(by someone lucky enough to have met José—a charming man through and through.)
“United we stand, divided they catch us one by one.”
— José Sarria
Long before Harvey Milk ran for office, long before the Castro became a symbol of gay pride, there was José Sarria—the drag queen, opera singer, activist, and the first openly gay candidate for public office in the United States.
In 1961, José ran for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, declaring not just a campaign, but a revolution. A public, political, unapologetic demand to be seen.
He didn’t win the election. But that wasn’t the point. The point was this: José stood up as himself, in full regalia, and asked the world to look queer dignity straight in the eye. And they couldn’t look away.
The Empress Rises
José Sarria wasn’t content to simply resist. He chose to reign.
In 1965, he declared himself “Her Royal Majesty, Empress José I, The Widow Norton”—tying his drag monarchy directly to the legacy of Emperor Norton, San Francisco’s beloved eccentric dreamer. But where Norton’s reign was one of imagination, José’s was a glittering, defiant embodiment of queer joy as resistance.
He founded the Imperial Court System, a network of drag royalty that continues today, raising millions for LGBTQ+ causes through pageantry, charity, and spectacle. Crowns, sashes, titles—all used not to mock power, but to reimagine it.
“I am the Widow Norton.”
José wasn’t asking for acceptance. He was commanding respect—with rhinestones and a smile.
Politics in a Gown
It’s hard to overstate how radical José’s candidacy was in 1961. At a time when gay bars were raided, when queerness was criminalized and violently policed, Sarria put his name on the ballot. Not in shame, not in secret—but in heels and full face.
When the police would raid the Black Cat Café, where José performed as a drag chanteuse, he led the arrested patrons in singing “God Save Us Nelly Queens” to the tune of “God Save the Queen.” Defiance wrapped in wit. Protest dressed as pageant.
He knew exactly what he was doing.
The Royal Lesson
To stand for something is noble. To stand in sequins, smiling, singing, and refusing to be erased—that’s revolutionary.
At Queer Reflection, we honor José Sarria not just as an icon of queer political courage, but as a master of joyful defiance. He reminds us that resistance can be radiant. That pageantry can be power. That sometimes the best way to fight back is to look fabulous doing it.
Because dignity doesn’t have to be drab. And liberation should never be beige.
Learn More About José Sarria:
- The José Sarria Foundation – preserving his legacy and the Imperial Court System
- José Sarria on Wikipedia
- The Empress Is a Man: José Sarria and the San Francisco Imperial Court (Book) by Michael R. Gorman
- “José Sarria, Drag Queen and Pioneer, Dies at 90” – New York Times Obituary
Reflection Prompt:
What would it mean to claim your crown?
Where in your life can joyful defiance be your act of resistance?
