Her confrontation with police at the Stonewall Inn during the early morning hours of June 28 was considered a flashpoint in the riots, igniting the crowd to fight back. In the 1969 Stonewall rebellion, Stormé played an integral role. During those decades, she was photographed by Diane Arbus and Avery Williard. (She was the act’s sole male impersonator.) In 1987 a film by Michelle Parkerson, “Stormé: The Lady of the Jewel Box,” captured Stormé’s life in the 1950s and 1960s touring the black theater circuit. She was known to carry a handgun or two, and was remembered by many as more than just security at local watering holes in the West Village.įor decades, Stormé performed with the legendary Jewel Box Revue, a touring company of female impersonators. She was a fierce defender and protector-a warrior. Stormé presented as a masculine lesbian and had no time for what she referred to as ‘ugly’-in other words, people being rude, disrespectful and mean. Though light-skinned, she always identified as black, as a way to honor her mother. The evening before, just blocks away, hundreds had gathered to celebrate the life of one of our movement’s heroes, Stormé DeLarverie, who passed away May 24.Īlthough she was a true gem of our community, many LGBT individuals have no idea who Stormé DeLarverie was, nor do they know of her contributions to our movement.īest known by her first name, Stormé, she was born in New Orleans in 1920 to a white father and a black mother, and as such was never issued a birth certificate. Department of Interior, announce that the National Park Service is launching an initiative to identify historic LGBT sites. Early on Friday, May 30, folks gathered at the famed Stonewall Inn to hear Sally Jewell, Secretary of the U.S.
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