Gladys Bentley and Stormé DeLarverie
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. According to a belated obituary published in 2019, The New York Times said that Bentley, who died in 1960 ages 52, was "Harlem's most famous lesbian" in the 1930s and "among the best-known black entertainers in the United States."
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 Brother Circus where she rode jumping horses. Then from 1955 to 1969, DeLarverie toured the black theatre circuit as the MA - 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 organised and preformed fundraisers for women who suffered from domestic violence and their children.
