The Castro in San Francisco City and County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

José Sarria

(1922-2013)

— Rainbow Honor Walk —

José Sarria Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, July 14, 2018

1. José Sarria Marker

Inscription. Army veteran, drag performer, politcal activist, first openly gay candidate for public office in the world, founder of the Imperial Court System

Jose Sarria

Erected 2017 by Rainbow Honor Walk.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Civil Rights • Entertainment • Government & Politics • Hispanic Americans. In addition, it is included in the Rainbow Honor Walk series list.

Location. 37° 45.762′ N, 122° 26.09′ W. Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. It is in The Castro. It is at the intersection of Market Street and Castro Street, on the right when traveling east on Market Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2399 Market, San Francisco CA 94114, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on California’s Coast Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere.

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Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Officer Jane Warner (within shouting distance of this marker); Sally Ride (within shouting distance of this marker); Fereydoun Farrokhzad (within shouting distance of this marker); Virginia Woolf (within shouting distance of this marker); Barbara Jordan (within shouting distance of this marker); Rikki Streicher (within shouting distance of this marker); AIDS Memorial Quilt (within shouting distance of this marker); Kiyoshi Kuromiya (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Francisco.

Also see . . .
1. Nelly Queen: The Life & Times of Jose Sarria (YouTube, Jose Sarria Foundation, 8 min.). "The film honors Jose Sarria, a legend of the GLBT community and in the fight for equality. He is often referred to as the Rosa Parks of the GLBT movement. He opened the doors to those that followed... before there was Harvey Milk, there was Jose Sarria....When San Francisco city officials vowed to shut down

José Sarria Marker - wide view, looking east on Market image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, July 14, 2018

2. José Sarria Marker - wide view, looking east on Market

all the gay bars in 1961, the 38 year-old female impersonator threw caution to the wind and campaigned for a seat on the Board of Supervisors. Sarria lost the election, but garnered nearly 6,000 votes, proving for the first time in American politics that the GLBT community had a voting bloc." (Submitted on July 15, 2018.)

2. José Sarria (Wikipedia). "José Julio Sarria also known as The Grand Mere, Absolute Empress I de San Francisco, and the Widow Norton (December 13, 1922 – August 19, 2013) was an American political activist from San Francisco, California, who in 1961 became the first openly gay candidate for public office in the United States. He is also remembered for performing as a drag queen at the Black Cat Bar and as the founder of the Imperial Court System." (Submitted on July 15, 2018.)

Additional keywords. LGBT LGBTQ

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 15, 2018, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 467 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 15, 2018, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.