An American glbti rights pioneer and drag king has died, aged 93. The Bronx LGBTQ Center says often referred to as the "Rosa Parks" as the gay rights movement, Stormé DeLarverie was a fierce woman who stood up for our community on countless occasions. “Stormé was an amazing and warm individual who spent her life taking care of people. It didn't matter if they were lesbian, gay, straight, young, old, transgender, questioning, bisexual, Black, White, Latino -- she treated everyone with the same warmth, compassion, kindness, conviction, courage, strength of spirit, and love. This led her to be dubbed the unofficial mother of our community, especially by those who knew her,” the organisation says. “She was not someone who tolerated injustice, though she faced it on an almost daily basis throughout much of her life. Stormé was a Black lesbian who often presented as a Black man, although she could easily have passed for a White woman -- she chose not to do so. Her love of people made Stormé an advocate, and she stood up to all injustice whenever she encountered or heard about it. “It was this conviction that led her to change the world for all of us, for the better."
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 28th May 2014 - 12:11pm