Witness History
Witness History
The US’s first gay election candidate
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July 8, 2022
10 minutes
Available for over a year
In 1961 the first openly gay person ran for public office in the United States. He was called Jose Sarria and he was a drag queen. He was determined that gay people would no longer be second-class citizens and paved the way for future openly gay candidates, such as Harvey Milk. Josephine McDermott speaks to Jose’s friend and fellow drag performer Mike Michelle.
(Photo: Jose Sarria in drag. Credit: The Jose Sarria Foundation)
Credits:
Jose Sarria archive material from the documentary, Nelly Queen: The Life and Times of Jose Sarria by kind permission of its director Joseph Castel. Black Cat monologue recorded by Ball Records.