Black History Month - Black Trans Women - February 9th

Today I wanted to highlight Sir Lady Java, an African American transgender woman whose fight against policing and discrimination happened years before most organized LGBTQ rights protections existed. Sir Lady Java was a Black transgender woman living in Los Angeles during the 1960s who worked as an entertainer in local nightclubs. At the time, the city enforced “Rule No. 9,” a regulation that allowed police to shut down performances by anyone they believed was impersonating another gender. Rather than quietly stepping away, she directly challenged the rule, organizing protests and bringing public attention to how gender nonconforming people were being criminalized simply for existing in public spaces. Although the courts ultimately dismissed her case, the pressure surrounding her fight contributed to the repeal of the policy not long afterward. Her activism predated many well known LGBTQ legal victories and showed early resistance to policing of gender expression. Sir Lady Java’s story reminds us that Black trans women were contesting discriminatory laws long before broader movements recognized them, laying groundwork for freedoms many people now take for granted.