José Julio Sarria (1922 – 2013) was a proud Latino American and a proud World War II veteran. He was a trailblazing LGBTQ civil rights activist, a drag performer, gay royalty as “Absolute Empress I of San Francisco” and the first openly gay candidate to run for public office in North America. Sarria has been called “the Rosa Parks of the LGBTQ civil rights movement.”
Sarria was born in 1922 to Julio Sarria and Maria Dolores Maldonado in San Francisco. His father was Nicaraguan and his mother Colombian. Maria doted on her son, providing unwavering love and support that helped shape the young man who would become an inspiration and role model to multitudes.
After graduating high school, motivated by the attack on Pearl Harbor, Sarria (left) enlisted in the United States Army. Following his distinguished service in Europe during the war and then in the Allied Occupation Forces in Berlin, he was honorably discharged in 1947.
Sarria returned home to his beloved San Francisco, where he was hired as a waiter and later hostess of the Black Cat Café. During an era of extreme homophobia, Sarria inspired others with his motto, “Gay is good.”
Before long, he would be billed as “The Nightingale of Montgomery Street,” using humor and his performance art as the backdrop of his political activism and street-level organizing that cultivated, educated, and empowered a sense of pride, identity, and unity in San Francisco’s gay community. He closed each performance by singing along with patrons, “God Save Us Nelly Queens.”
In 1961, Sarria became the first openly gay candidate for public office in the United States when he ran for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Sarria (left) placed fifth among a field of 29 candidates in the 1961 election. His courageous campaign for office put “Gay Power” on the American political map and paved the way for Harvey Milk (center) and others later to win office.
Sarria also co-founded the Society for Individual Rights and became a well-known gay activist. “United we stand, divided they catch us one by one” became one of his most famous quotes.
In 1963, Sarria co-founded the Tavern Guild of San Francisco, organizing to stand against growing police raids and arrests. Two years later, he founded one of the first LGBTQ charitable organizations, The Imperial Court of San Francisco, and was crowned Empress I. This led to the establishment of the International Imperial Court System, which now has chapters in over 65 cities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico and has raised millions for charitable causes.
Developing his Imperial Court persona into the “Empress José, The Widow Norton,” a reference to a San Francisco historical figure who called himself “Emperor Norton I,” Sarria led annual pilgrimages to Norton’s grave. Upon Sarria’s death, he was buried in an adjacent plot under a matching tombstone.
In 1995, SF Pride honored Sarria with the Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal Award. He has been honored by the California State Assembly, the National LGBTQ+ Task Force, and the Victory Fund. He was inducted into the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor located in the historic Stonewall Inn in New York City.
In 2006 Sarria became the first gay man in San Francisco to have a street named after him, following a campaign led by San Diego Commissioner Nicole M. Ramirez (left) and former San Francisco Supervisor Bevan Dufty (right).
Sarria also was honored as an historic figure on the Rainbow Honor Walk in the San Francisco Castro District and received a star on Palm Springs’ famous Walk of Stars.
Today, Sarria’s influence lives on as the José Sarria Foundation, the International Court System, the GLBT Historical Society and others work to expand public awareness of the countless contributions of his storied life. Currently, the International Imperial Court System is leading a campaign for a U.S. postage stamp in Sarria’s honor.