Sir Lady Java
| Sir Lady Java | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 20, 1943 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Residence | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Drag queen, actress, activist |
| Years active | 1960s-1980s |
Sir Lady Java is an American transgender rights activist, exotic dancer, singer, comedian, and actress. Active on stage, television, radio and film from the mid-1960s to around 1980, she is a popular and influential personality in the Los Angeles-area African-American LGBT community.
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1943 (or, by one account, 1940), Java transitioned at a young age with the support of her mother, and began singing and dancing in local nightclubs.
In her early twenties, she moved to Los Angeles, California, where by 1965 she was a mainstay of the nightclub circuit and associated with such figures as Redd Foxx, Sammy Davis Jr., Richard Pryor, and Don Rickles. She was frequently featured in such magazines as Jet, HEP, the LA Advocate, and Variety.
In the early fall of 1967, the Los Angeles Police Department began shutting down the now-famous Java's performances, citing a local ordinance prohibiting the "impersonation by means of costume or dress a person of the opposite sex," and threatening to fine clubs that hosted her. In response, Java picketedRedd Foxx's club on October 21 and hired the American Civil Liberties Union in a bid to overturn the rule. The courts eventually rejected Java's case with the ACLU, stipulating that only club owners could sue. Rule Number 9 was ultimately struck down after a separate dispute in 1969.
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