Sir Lady Java (August 20, 1942 – November 16, 2024), also known simply as Lady Java, was an American

transgender rights The legal status of transgender people varies greatly around the world. Some countries have enacted laws protecting the rights of transgender individuals, but others have criminalized their gender identity or expression. In many cases, transg ...

activist,

exotic dancer A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at private events. Modern forms of stripping m ...

, singer, comedian, and actress. Active on stage, television, radio and film from the mid-1960s to 1970s, she was a popular and influential personality in the

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

-area African-American

LGBTQ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...

community.

Biography

Early life

Born in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, Louisiana, on August 20, 1942, Java transitioned at a young age with the support of her mother, and began singing and dancing in local

nightclubs A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighting displays, and ...

Career and legal battle

Sir Lady moved to Los Angeles, California, where in the mid-1960s she met and befriended

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the "Ar ...

; they remained close for decades. By 1965, she had become a mainstay of the nightclub circuit, where she was associated with such figures as

Redd Foxx John Elroy Sanford (December 9, 1922 – October 11, 1991), better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Foxx gained success with his raunchy nightclub act before and during the civil rights movemen ...

Sammy Davis Jr. Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, actor, comedian, dancer, and musician. At age two, Davis began his career in Vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the Will Mastin Trio, which t ...

Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Known for reaching a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, he is widely regarded ...

Flip Wilson Clerow "Flip" Wilson Jr. (December 8, 1933 – November 25, 1998) was an American comedian and actor best known for his television appearances during the late 1960s and 1970s. From 1970 to 1974, Wilson hosted his own weekly variety series '' The ...

Rudy Ray Moore Rudolph Frank Moore (March 17, 1927October 19, 2008), known as Rudy Ray Moore, was an American comedian, singer, actor, and film producer.LaWanda Page LaWanda Page (born Alberta Richmond; October 19, 1920September 14, 2002) was an Americans, American actress, comedian and dancer whose career spanned six decades. Crowned "The Queen of Comedy" or "The Black Queen of Comedy", Page melded Ribaldry ...

, and

Don Rickles Donald Jay Rickles (May 8, 1926 – April 6, 2017) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He was known primarily for his insult comedy. His film roles include ''Run Silent, Run Deep (film), Run Silent, Run Deep'' (1958), ''Enter Laughing ...

. Lady Java cited

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American singer, actress, dancer and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years and covered film, television and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of the C ...

Mae West Mary Jane "Mae" West (August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American actress, singer, comedian, screenwriter, and playwright whose career spanned more than seven decades. Recognized as a prominent sex symbol of her time, she was known ...

, and

Josephine Baker Freda Josephine Baker (; June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975), naturalized as Joséphine Baker, was an American and French dancer, singer, and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in France. She was the first Black woman to s ...

as inspirations for her performances, which involved dancing, impersonations, singing, and comedy. She was frequently featured in such magazines as '' Jet'', ''HEP'', the '' LA Advocate'', and ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

''. In the early fall of 1967, after a successful two-week engagement at Redd Foxx's club which Java was seeking to extend, the

Los Angeles Police Department The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...

began shutting down the now-famous Java's performances, citing

Rule Number 9 Rule No. 9 (also simply Rule 9) was a city ordinance in Los Angeles, California, which made it illegal for performers to "impersonate by means of costume or dress a person of the opposite sex" without a special permit from the Los Angeles Board of P ...

, a local ordinance prohibiting the "impersonation by means of costume or dress a person of the opposite sex", and threatening to fine clubs that hosted her. In response, Java picketed Redd Foxx's club on October 21 and partnered with the

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. T ...

in a bid to overturn the rule. The court rejected Java's case with the ACLU, stipulating that only club owners could sue. Rule Number 9 ultimately was struck down after a separate dispute in 1969. In 1978, Java performed with

at a birthday party for nightclub owner and columnist

Gertrude Gipson Gertrude Gipson Penland was an African-American syndicated columnist, editor, nightclub owner, publicist, and civil rights activist. Early life Born Gertrude Estelle Lomax in Ocean City, New Jersey, in July, 1923, a Cancerian, she moved to Los A ...

Later years

From the 1980s, Java kept a lower public profile. After retiring from performance and recovering from a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

, she made a limited return to public life, appearing locally in southern California and giving interviews. In June 2016, she was a guest of honor at the 18th annual Trans Pride L.A. festival alongside

CeCe McDonald CeCe McDonald (; born May 26, 1989) is an American trans woman, convicted killer, and LGBTQ activist who came to national attention in June 2012 after pleading guilty to second-degree manslaughter. Originally charged with murder for the stabbing ...

. Java also participated in the 2022 Los Angeles Pride Parade as Community Grand Marshal. Java has been recognized as a trailblazer.

Death

Java died in Los Angeles on the evening of November 16, 2024, at the age of 82.

Filmography

Awards and honors

* 1971 – Guest of honor, Alpha Chapter (Los Angeles) of the

Full Personality Expression Full Personality Expression (FPE), also ''Phi Pi Epsilon'', was formed in 1962 by Virginia Prince as an organization for heterosexual male Cross-dressing, crossdressers, based on her earlier ''Hose & Heels Club.'' The Alpha chapter was located in ...

* 2016 – Guest of honor, 18th Annual Trans Pride L.A.

References

External links

25-minute interview with Sir Lady Java

Promotional material, photographs, and periodicals relating to Sir Lady Java, circa 1960–1983
Houghton Library, Harvard University {{DEFAULTSORT:Sir Lady Java 1942 births 2024 deaths African-American LGBTQ people LGBTQ people from California LGBTQ people from Louisiana American LGBTQ rights activists Comedians from New Orleans Transgender rights activists American transgender actresses Transgender history in the United States 20th-century American LGBTQ people 20th-century African-American people 21st-century American LGBTQ people African-American female comedians African-American comedians Transgender comedians American women comedians American LGBTQ comedians