Happy #LGBTQHistoryMonth! Let’s make sure it’s as #intersectional as possible!
Venus Xtravaganza was a performer and aspiring model from Jersey City, NJ. She became well known for her appearance in the documentary Paris Is Burning where she talked about her life as a trans woman. She began performing around age 13. Hailing from an Italian and Puerto Rican family, she said she didn’t want to embarrass her family and moved to NYC so she could live and perform freely. She joined the ball scene in the early 80s when she was asked to join the House of Xtravaganza. In the film, Venus talks candidly about her sex work, and recounts a time she narrowly escaped an attack by a man who learned she was transgender during sex. She was still filming Paris is Burning in 1988 when her body was found strangled under a bed at the Duchess Hotel in New York. The documentary ends with reactions to Venus’ death. Her murderer was never found. #LGBTQHistory #QTPOCHistory #HispanicHeritageMonth #VenusXtravaganza #Intersectionality