Drag kings became pretty rare after the turn of the century, so Stormé de Larverie is a pretty notable stand out.
She started out her career as a traveling jazz singer in feminine attire. In 1955, she became the suave MC of a drag troupe called the Jewel Box Review, which billed itself as "25 men and a girl."
Stormé was present at The Stonewall Inn when the rioting broke out, and afterwards, became an advocate for LGBT and women's rights. She was a bouncer at lesbian bars, and carried a gun to protect "her girls."
When asked about why she did her work, she answered, "Somebody has to care. People say, 'Why do you still do that?' I said, 'It's very simple. If people didn't care about me when I was growing up, with my mother being black, raised in the south.' I said, 'I wouldn't be here.'"
neil-gaiman
