Catiria Reyes (1959 – May 3, 1999), better known as Lady Catiria, was a Puerto Rican drag performer, film actress, and

transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...

beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition in which the contestants are judged and ranked based on various physical and mental attributes. Per its name, beauty pageants traditionally focus on judging the contestants' physical attractiveness, sometimes sol ...

winner. She was one of the main performers at the New York City Latino nightclub La Escuelita, where she entertained crowds for almost two decades. She was the first person to win two titles at the

Miss Continental Miss Continental is an annual drag queen pageantry system founded in 1980 by Jim Flint. The pageant itself takes place at the Baton Show Lounge in Chicago, Illinois, and is usually held over Labor Day weekends. History Jim Flint organized th ...

pageant in Chicago. Towards the end of her life, she became an advocate for AIDS awareness.

Performance career

Lady Catiria began her career at the age of 19 years in the neighborhood of Jackson Heights, Queens, impersonating the Puerto Rican TV performer

Iris Chacón Iris Belia Chacón Tapia (born March 7, 1950) is a Puerto Rican dancer, singer, actress, and entertainer. Known as "La Bomba de Puerto Rico" and "La Vedette de América," Chacón is a prominent figure in Latin America, the United States, Europe ...

.Suggs, Donald.
Queen of Hearts
" ''POZ'' no. 48 (June 1999): 81. Accessed Aug. 19, 2009. In the early 1980s, Lady Catiria moved to La Escuelita, a gay club located in midtown Manhattan, where she developed an extremely large following that would faithfully attend her

lip-synching Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , like the word ''sink'', despite the spelling of the participial forms ''synced'' and ''syncing''), short for lip synchronization, is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements ...

performances, especially on Saturday nights. Lady Catiria, who was a

transsexual A transsexual person is someone who experiences a gender identity that is inconsistent with their assigned sex, and desires to permanently transition to the sex or gender with which they identify, usually seeking medical assistance (incl ...

woman, stood out from other performers because of her body, looks, dance moves and penchant for exhibitionism. In general, she did not speak during her performances or while off-stage. In the 1990s, Lady Catiria went on to participate in drag beauty pageants. In 1993, she won the Miss Continental Plus pageant, which features large-bodied trans and drag women. She then decided to compete in the Miss Continental pageant, which she won in 1995. She spent nearly $20,000 preparing for the contest, including dieting, working out with a trainer, traveling to Mexico to get liposuction, and eventually losing 30 pounds. It was while preparing for this competition that she learned that she was HIV positive. The same year she won the Miss Continental pageant, Lady Catiria appeared in a cameo in ''

To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar ''To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar'' is a 1995 American road comedy-drama film directed by Beeban Kidron and starring Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, and John Leguizamo as three New York City drag queens who embark on a road tri ...

'', a film starring

Wesley Snipes Wesley Trent Snipes (born July 31, 1962) is an American actor and martial artist. In a film career spanning more than thirty years, Snipes has appeared in a variety of genres, such as numerous thrillers, dramatic feature films, and comedies, th ...

Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze ( ; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and dancer. Known for his romantic, tough, and comedic roles in blockbusters and cult films, Swayze was nominated for three Golden Glob ...

, and

John Leguizamo John Alberto Leguizamo Peláez (, ; ; born July 22, 1960 or 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and film producer. He has appeared in more than 100 films, produced more than 20 films and documentaries, made more than 30 televisio ...

as three New York drag queens who embark on a road trip. Credited as "Catiria Reyes," she appears in the beginning of the film, in a scene in which the main characters are competing at a drag beauty pageant held at

Webster Hall Webster Hall is a nightclub and concert venue located at 125 East 11th Street, between Third and Fourth avenues, near Astor Place, in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City. It is one of New York City's most historically significant ...

. Lady Catiria announced she was HIV positive at the 1996 Miss Continental show during her last performance as reigning title holder. For this occasion, she had a $1,800 gown made, which was plain black with an AIDS ribbon in rhinestones as the collar. She also had her crown done over in red to match. She played a prerecorded tape, explaining that she was sick and needed everyone's support, and then did her number. Over 2,000 people attended this performance. In February 1999, Lady Catiria received a farewell tribute at La Nueva Escuelita nightclub. She was unable to attend as she was recuperating from chemotherapy needed to fight

Kaposi's sarcoma Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a type of cancer that can form masses on the skin, in lymph nodes, in the mouth, or in other organs. The skin lesions are usually painless, purple and may be flat or raised. Lesions can occur singly, multiply in a limite ...

lesions that had developed in her lungs. She died due to complications of AIDS on May 3, 1999, and was buried in her native Puerto Rico. Lady Catiria was featured in a June 1999 article in '' POZ'' magazine, where she was portrayed as an inspiration to people living with HIV/AIDS.

Legacy

Numerous drag queens and transgender performers such as

Candis Cayne Candis Cayne (born August 29, 1971) is an American actress and performance artist. Cayne performed in New York City nightclubs in drag since the 1990s, and came out as transgender in 1996; Cayne came to national attention in 2007 for portraying ...

, Angel Sheridan, and Mistress Maddie have credited Lady Catiria for her role as a mentor and friend. Candis Cayne, who went on to win the Miss Continental award, credits Lady Catiria for motivating her to participate in this pageant. The Puerto Rican actress

Rosie Perez Rosa Maria Perez (born September 6, 1964) is an American actress. Her breakthrough came at age 24 with her portrayal of Tina in the film '' Do the Right Thing'' (1989), followed by '' White Men Can't Jump'' (1992). Perez's performance in '' Fear ...

also described being a Lady Catiria fan and attending her show numerous times, after John Leguizamo took her to La Escuelita for the first time. Puerto Rican gay scholars such as

Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes (born April 10, 1968) is a gay Puerto Rican author, scholar, and performer. He is better known as Larry La Fountain. He has received several awards for his creative writing and scholarship as well as for his work with ...

have written about Lady Catiria's importance in the gay New York City community. Others have paid tribute online. La Nueva Escuelita released a memorial VHS and DVD compilation of performances by Lady Catiria and has a prominently featured display case with her Miss Continental gown and crown.La Escuelita.
Lady Catiria Photo Gallery
" New York, USA. Accessed Aug. 19, 2009. The nightclub also includes numerous photos of her on its website.

Prizes

Plus (1993–1994) * Miss Continental (1995–1996)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Catiria, Lady 1959 births 1999 deaths 20th-century Puerto Rican actresses 20th-century Puerto Rican LGBTQ people AIDS-related deaths in New York (state) Puerto Rican drag queens American people of Puerto Rican descent Hispanic and Latino American drag queens American drag queens Miss Continental winners Nightlife in New York City People from Bayamón, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican LGBTQ actors Puerto Rican transgender people American transgender actresses Transgender drag performers Transgender female models Miss Continental Plus winners Drag performers from New York City

Performance career

Legacy

Prizes

See also

References

External links