For the Love of Mama José

This December 13 marks what would have been the 100th birthday of the remarkable performer, activist and philanthropist José Sarria (1922–2013).

Sarria was a drag star at the Black Cat Café in North Beach from the mid-1950s to mid-1960s, where he was known for his opera parodies, which often included lyrics exhorting gay people to stand up for themselves. He proclaimed himself Empress José I, the Widow Norton in 1964 (a reference to the beloved nineteenth-century San Francisco eccentric Joshua Norton, who proclaimed himself Emperor of the United States and Mexico in 1859) and the following year founded the drag fundraising organization the Imperial Court of San Francisco. This grew into the International Imperial Court System, a thriving network of organizations in more than 80 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Sarria also became the first known openly gay person to campaign for elected office anywhere in the world when he ran for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1961.

The GLBT Historical Society is proud to house a large archival collection documenting the life and work of José Sarria. Another cultural organization dedicated to preserving his memory and promoting his legacy is the José Sarria Foundation, a nonprofit organization chartered in Washington. The Foundation shares historic items in its archives with universities and other groups, organizes panel discussions and also arranges screenings of the documentary film Nelly Queen: The Life & Times of José Sarria (2021, dir. Joe Castel) at schools and elsewhere.

In October, the José Sarria Foundation opened a pop-up museum dedicated to Sarria in downtown Palm Springs. To celebrate the exhibition and the anniversary of Sarria’s birth, we interviewed the president of the José Sarria Foundation, Gene Brake.

What inspired you to create this pop-up museum, and why now?

GB: José often shared his fear that no one would remember him or the many battles he fought. Yet so many of us are determined to share his inspiring story with a new generation. We felt that the occasion of his 100th birthday was the perfect time to share his story and to honor him with a star on Palm Springs Walk of Stars. That ceremony will take place on his birthday, December 12, at 2:00 p.m. 

What are some of your favorite pieces in the José Sarria Pop Up Museum?

GB: There are so many, but I think my favorite is the charm bracelet that he wore all the time. It was such a favorite item—he even had it on at his memorial service and it was taken off prior to his burial. It tells of José’s many travels including the many World’s Fairs he worked at between 1964 and 1982.  

What’s one thing you wish more people knew about José?

GB: I wish folks knew more about José's time in the army serving during World War II in Europe. Few who knew José as the “Nightingale of Montgomery Street” or as Empress José I, the Widow Norton, could picture him carrying a rifle, helping to liberate Nazi concentration camps and marching into Berlin. I think he brought that “greatest generation” spirit back with him as he fought for our rights.

NOTE: For more information about the José Sarria Foundation, visit josesarria.org, and click here for the José Sarria Pop-Up Museum. The Pop-Up Museum will be open through December 15, 2022 and is located at the Welwood Murray Library, 100 South Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262. Hours are Friday through Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and on Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Gene Brake is the President of the José Sarria Foundation, an all-volunteer nonprofit dedicating to preserving the life and work of José Sarria.