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| K. Stormé
DeLarverie was born 'way down yonder' in New Orleans, Louisiana.
It was incredibly not long after the end of World War I (One) on
Christmas Eve, December 24 of 1920 -- ironically and prophetically, the year that American women won the
right to vote in America! To quote Stormé: "I've
been fighting for the Gay community ever since!" Stormé
has a silvery baritone
voice with a jazz-oriented sound. In the 1940s, Stormé was
a
solo performer with a three-piece band. Stormé is probably
best known for being part of the legendary Jewel Box Revue, a popular
"drag" performance group which toured America -- not always under the
best of accommodations or circumstances. The Jewel Box Revue ensemble was composed of two dozen males dressed beautifully and seductively as females and one biological female dressed very gentlemanly and convincingly as a man: Stormé! It's a role he does persuasively on stage and off. During the 1950s and the 1960s, Stormé was the Jewel Box's only male impersonator. He did so as a fine gentleman. The entertaining uniqueness was that the entire talented troupe were in gender-bender roles -- all except one! The "J.B." was a forerunner to the Broadway musical of the mid-1980s, "La Cage aux Folles". Unlike the latter, the J.B. confronted acceptance, joyousness, praise and fulfillment on one side but segregation, prejudice, scorn and sadness on the other side of the coin. Stormé initially got involved with the STONEWALL Veterans' Association ("S.V.A.") when it happenstancely began spiritually the very first night of the Stonewall Rebellion, Friday, June 27, 1969. Stormé had just returned to New York City from entertainment touring with the Jewel Box Revue. The S.V.A. officially formed exactly two weeks later on July 11th of that exciting year 1969.
Storme DeLarverie
at Brooklyn Gay Pride with the 1969 "Stonewall Car" =Storme on Stonewall= "It was a rebellion, it was an uprising, it was a civil rights disobedience -- it wasn't no damn riot", stated Stormé at a public SVA-sponsored "Stonewall Symposium", refering to the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion. Stormé was a part of it on the very first night, Friday, June 27th. "The cops were parading patrons out of the front door of The Stonewall at about two o' clock in the morning. I saw this one boy being taken out by three cops, only one in uniform. Three to one! I told my pals, 'I know him! That's Williamson, my friend Sonia Jane's friend.' Williamson briefly broke loose but they grabbed the back of his jacket and pulled him right down on the cement street. One of them did a drop kick on him. Another cop senselessly hit him from the back. Right after that, a cop said to me: 'Move faggot', thinking that I was a Gay guy. I said, 'I will not! And, don't you touch me." With that, the cop shoved me and I instinctively punched him right in the face. He bled! He was then on the ground -- not me!"Stormé is known, too, for adapting memorable sayings and witty warnings. For example, if someone says or asks something that Stormé perceives as insulting to his intelligence or not too smart, he'll say, "I didn't fall off of the back of a turnip truck". A favorite song of Stormé's, "It Ain't Easy Being Green", is also a favorite expression. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender people can easily relate to that song simply substituting 'green' with 'Gay'. And that's exactly Stormé's point: "It ain't easy being Gay". Sho 'nuff, y'all! Relating to age, or not relating to it, King Stormé rightly says, while inimitably mixing maxims: "Age ain't nothing but a number -- if you don't mind it, it don't matter". Overall, reviewing life and his philosophy of himself, Stormé tells it like it is (another song): "What you see is what you get". Allright! |
| Over the many years, Stormé DeLarverie has electedly served as Chief of Security, Ambassador and in 1998 to 2000 as Vice-President of the S.V.A. He has always done so supportively, reliably and enthusiastically. In the Imperial QUEENS & Kings of Greater New York ("IQKNY"), Stormé has won election many times from IQKNY's transgender membership and friends the title of "Imperial King". Thus, he earned his popular nickname "King Stormé"! At the urging of Stormé's longtime pal, Williamson, and others, Stormé received a "Gay Lifetime Achievement Award" from Senior Action in a Gay Environment ("SAGE") in 2000. Stormé is well-known, too, as a 'regular' leading the annual New York City Gay Pride Parade with the Stonewall veterans and "Stormé's baby", the historic 1969 Cadillac convertible "Stonewall Car". Stormé rarely misses the monthly S.V.A. meeting held on the last Saturday of every month -- except Storme's birthday month, December! See other photos of Stormé -- with his "baby" the car -- on the S.V.A. Photo Album index with the Judge Karen Burstein listing including Storme laying across the "Stonewall Car" trunk. |
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=2008 Gay Pride Events=
On Saturday, May 31st, Storme presented a special
advisory report regarding upoming Gay Pride events at the S.V.A.
meeting. Storme
will be speaking about the Stonewal
Rebellion at the S.V.A. meeting on June 28th @ 4:15 p.m. The
occasion is televised by New York 1 News for a Gay Pride segmnent.
For "Stonewall Sunday", Storme will be leading the New York
City Gay
Pride Parade with the S.V.A. and Storme's blue baby, the 1969 Cadillac
"Stonewall
Car". For the S.V.A. 's anniversary party and benefit at The
Stonewall Inn on Tuesday, July 1st, Storme is one of the SVA-ers
in the host trio. Storme will be introducing soime of the super
Stonewall songs collaborated by Storme's longtime pal Williamson.
For much more events 411, please visit:
www.STONEWALLvets.org/upcomingevents.htm
* * * * *
=Tribute to Storme DeLarverie=
"Storme with Storme"
[Photo by Rogers Hunt for the S.V.A.]
An artists tribute to Imperial King Storme DeLarverie was
held at a famous artists habitat and where Storme lives:
Chelsea Hotel (a.k.a. Hotel Chelsea). The art
showcase event honors Storme's gender-bendering entertainment
history
with the fabulous Jewel Box Renue as a singing female attired as a
male and with the Imperial
QUEENS & Kings of New York as a prominent drag king. The King
Storme tribute happened on Thursday,
August 21, 2008, from 6 p.m. to 9
p.m. in the ballroom of the Chelsea Hotel at 222 West 23 Street
in Chelsea, New York. Storme lives at The Chelsea for about three
decades. The entire SRO event was introduced and hosted by
Storme's longtime friend/comrade and S.V.A. Director Williamson
Henderson. Portraiture artist Anthony Zito has created a dramatic
acrylic-on-canvas portrait
of Storme DeLarverie which was unveiled and presented to Storme at
the tribute.
For a portrait view, visit: www.ZitoGallery.com.
For archival info
about the event and its sponsor, the Artists of The Chelsea
featuring Susan Olmetti, visit the artistic website: www.SusanOlmetti.com.
Many of the paintings shown there were on display for
sale at the Storme event, with one, "Mr. Minkel", donated by its
artist Miss Olmetti to the STONEWALL Veterans' Association. Gay
press coverage was provided by Storme's favorite paper, The New York Blade.
At the S.V.A. meeting on August 30th, Storme provided an
appreciative and earthy report of his event..
Storme, AnDre and Williamson after the tribute at Hotel Chelsea
[Backstage photo by Rogers Hunt]
Storme DeLarverie tribute story in the New York Observer
www.Observer.com/2008/Stonewall-Rebellion-Veteran-honored-Chelsea
Storme DeLarverie with godson AnDre Christie
[photo at Hotel Chelsea by Ruthybird]
* * * * *
=S.V.A. Annual Conference & Reunion=
King Storme DeLarverie will be on the
dais of the STONEWALL Veterans' Association's "S.V.A. Annual
Conference & Stonewall Veterans Reunion". Celebrating the
40th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, Storme is one of the 40
special speakers symbolic of the 40 years. Besides the
S.V.A., Storme is speaking on his longtime starring role in
the famous Jewel Box Revue. The event in 2009 confirmed for
Saturday, June 27 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the New York GLBT Community
Center in Manhattan.
* * * * *
=Storme Co-Hosts S.V.A. Party=
STONEWALL Veterans' Association's
40th Anniversary Party
Monday, June 29th, 2009
The Stonewall Club
53 Christopher Street
Greenwich Village, New York
6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
with original Stonewall jukebox music
"Songs of The Stonewall"
* * * * *
Storme's Birthday Cake Party
on Saturday, December 26th, 2009 @ 6 p.m. after the S.V.A. monthly meeting
at the New York City Gay Community Services Center in Manhattan, N.Y.
We know that Storme's real friends are gonna turn out for this - his 89th!
* * * * *
Storme's 2010 Stormy Housing Crisis Story
See the story by Matti Nestel at the "DNA 411" website at:
Stonewall Veteran Storme forced out of shuttering St. Vincent's Hospital in Greenwich Village
3 September
2010
"It was the 3rd of September,
a day I'll always remember."
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