SIR LADY JAVA PRESENTATION

As an activist, innovator, and reformer, Sir Lady Java opened the door to sexual freedom and gay rights. She overcame hard times and discrimination with pride, class, and the determination to attain a fulfilling lifestyle. With her performances as a female impersonator commanding both attention and respect, she is recognized and admired by millions around the world as one of the most notable performers of both her time, and of her kind. Her moments in the spotlight would align her to work with the likes of James Brown, Redd Foxx, Richard Pryor, Lena Horne, Sammy Davis Jr. , and Rudy Ray Moore (aka Dolemite), to name a few. However, in 1967, as she continued to grow in popularity, the city of Los Angeles attempted to make an example out of her by passing a city ordinance called Rule Number 9 prohibiting the impersonation by means of costume or dress a person of the opposite sex.