"Using photos, slides, newspaper clips, and ephemera, this book documents the life of a trans, Latina woman who defied the norms of the era as a topless entertainer in San Francisco during the 1950s and beyond."
"Vicki Starr was born in Puerto Rico in 1932 and migrated to the United States, first to New York City, then settled in San Francisco. She began expressing her female gender identity early in life, which caused a rift with her family. She transitioned in the early 1950s, at a time when there was widespread hostility towards queer and trans people, yet she was insistent on living as her most authentic self. She became a celebrated performer during the rise of topless entertainment in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood in the late 1950s, where her name could be seen in lights on the marques of clubs such as El Cid, Pierre's, and Finocchio's."
"Born in Puerto Rico in 1932, Vicki Starr became a prominent performer in San Francisco's North Beach during the rise of topless entertainment in the 1960s. She lived out loud as a trans woman, defying the era's concepts of gender both onstage and in her daily life. Though her journey was extraordinary, her intentions in life as noted to friends and journalists were simple and universal: to live as her authentic self and to be remembered. This visual history shows the lifetime of a trailblazer in photos, slides, and ephemera. We share her story to honor her incredible courage and pay tribute to the work of LGBTQIA+ people was came before us, existing at every juncture of history yet so often left out of the narrative."
Available via etsy.com
Photo via vickistarrbook.wixsite.com
and books.google
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