THE IMPERIAL COURT SYSTEM IN
LOS ANGELES & HOLLYWOOD
The Imperial Court of Los Angeles & Hollywood, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
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The court system was originally designed as a forum for “campy fun.” Our titles of “Emperor”, “Empress”, “Prince”, and “Princess” and our gala functions, enthusiastically reflect that nascent spirit of “campiness”. None of this, however, undermines our objectives as each year the Imperial Court of Los Angeles & Hollywood raises tens of thousands of dollars for local, regional, national, and even some international charitable causes.
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Perhaps one of the most positive aspects of our empire is that it is open to everyone. Our membership is made up of many different types of individuals from within the LGBTQ community, and heterosexual individuals as well. No person’s gender, lifestyle, or mode of dress has any bearing on their welcome within our empire or their eligibility to join the Court Family.
If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us:
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Make A Donation
ICLAH, Inc. can only achieve its goals with the assistance of generous donations from members of our community. Since our organization relies on the generosity of individuals like you, we ask that you consider donating to our cause. We hope that you will help support our efforts. Thank you in advance for your generosity!
HXSTORY
The Imperial Council of Los Angeles and Hollywood
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The ICLAH Is richly steeped in the growth and development of the GLBTQ+ communities. A much-heralded unification emerged in 1996 of the Imperial Mother Court of Los Angeles and The Imperial Movie Capital Court of Hollywood created a stronger Imperial Council to serve the greater Los Angeles and Hollywood area. With a rich tradition of charitable giving, camp, fun, regality, and celebration of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender culture the court also fights for human rights and equality.
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The Imperial Mother Court of Los Angeles was founded in 1970 and started as a beauty contest for female impersonators. It was the first imperial court organization founded in Southern California. It was an organization intended to provide a different manner of fellowship and social gathering in the LGBTQ community. As the Imperial Court contest became popular and widely attended by all sectors of our community it was decided to organize it.
In 1974, history was made in the community as the Emperor and Empress (charity fundraising co-chairs for each year) were elected for the first time by popular vote.
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The Imperial Movie Capital Court of Hollywood was founded in 1984 as a fundraising contest to start the organization “Aid for AIDS” and was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1985. Initially, Hollywood elected their monarchs through a contest where the candidates who raised the most money for charity won. The organization grew dramatically and raised tons of thousands of dollars for charity through plant auctions, yard sales, beer busts, drag shows, contests, and an annual coronation and anniversary dinner.
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Over the last 49 years, the courts of Los Angeles and Hollywood have raised and contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to many charities in the Los Angeles and Hollywood areas respectively.
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Gay and Straight Elected officials have supported the Imperial Court fundraising efforts, with the West Hollywood mayors like Abbe Land, John Heilman, and Jeffrey Prang attending many events and issuing many proclamations of support.
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The Imperial Court of Los Angeles and Hollywood will continue to work within the Imperial Court System and its traditions while expanding to truly serve our community of Los Angeles and Hollywood. We will continue to raise money to support local charities.
our founder
José Julio Sarria
In Honor and Loving Memory
Absolute Empress I, The Widow Norton
December 12, 1922 - August 19, 2013
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José Julio Sarria was born on December 12, 1922, in San Francisco, California. The Grand Mere, Absolute Empress I de San Francisco, the Widow Norton, José; a proud openly gay Latino, drag queen, and one of the great iconic American pioneering political activists and leaders of the modern-day LGBT Civil Rights and Social Justice Movements.
After graduating high school and the attacks on Pearl Harbor, Sarria enlisted in the United States Army, honorably serving his country in Europe. Following Jose's honorable service and discharge in 1947, he returned home to his beloved San Francisco.
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Upon his return, a young Sarria would frequent a local bar called the "Black Cat" at 710 Montgomery St. near Broadway at the center of San Francisco's Beat and Bohemian scene. He was later hired as a waiter and later became a hostess. The owner noticed José's ability to provide entertainment and later encouraged him to create performances to draw customers on the weekends. The Black Cat stage became the vehicle of Sarria's powerful politically active and community voice of purpose. During a time of McCarthyism, abusive police raids, and Alcohol & Beverage harassment of gay establishments, the "Black Cat" stood up to these institutions via the legal courts and community support. Sarria was a prominent drag queen and political activist who was unafraid of standing up against the establishment. At the end of his Sunday performances, he made the audience stand up and hold hands and sing his famed "God Save Us Nellie Queens" as a way of instilling solidarity for the gay community on hand and beyond the walls of the Black Cat. He would encourage audiences to be united and proud of who they were, instilling in all that "united we stand, divided they catch us one by one." Sarria would remain as the headliner at the Black Cat until its closing in 1963 after multiple police raids.
In 1960, Sarria, founded the League For Civil Education, lending his political voice to educate the community at large about homosexuality. While the community at large was not aware of Sarria's homosexual politics, Sarria had organized the gay community and collected the signatures needed to qualify him for the 1961 Fall elections of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
In 1961, Jose Sarria became the first openly gay candidate for public office in the United States when he ran for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He placed fifth with a total of 5,571 votes from among a field of 29 candidates. Jose's courageous run for public office put the gay vote on the American political map. As Jose himself put it, "From that day on, nobody ran for anything without knocking on the door of the gay community."
In 1964 at “Beau Arts Ball” José was crowned Queen of the Ball. Later he was to say "We're all queens and why become a queen when you can become empress"; Thus, he proclaimed himself Empress of San Francisco and later proclaimed that he was the wife of the late Emperor Joshua Norton. In 1965 Sarria founded The Imperial Court of San Francisco. As in any organization, the start was a little rocky but José held firm and a Privy Council was formed to govern the office of Empress. Based upon European royalty. In the years that followed Sarria led the Imperial Court of San Francisco and elected Empresses at the Tavern Guild's Annual Beau Arts Ball which became an annual event that drew audiences in growing numbers. To vote you had to buy a ticket to the ball, so contestants solicited votes and the person with the most votes and admirers at the ball was elected and crowned Empress.
In 1972, a group of men formed the Council of Emperors of San Francisco and elected their first Emperor that year. In 1977 the Emperors took José to Woodlawn Cemetery to visit the gravesite of her late husband Joshua. (A plot was purchased close to where Joshua is buried and where José will be close to her husband.) This was to become an annual pilgrimage and where the elected Emperor of San Francisco took his oath of office the day after his election. The Emperors and Empresses had separate coronations and courts until 1983 when they held a joint coronation and election of the Emperor and Empress.
By 1969, Sarria set out to expand and create Imperial Courts and Empires across North America modeled after the Imperial Court of San Francisco. In 1970, Sarria and his Imperial Court of San Francisco helped establish Imperial Courts in Vancouver, B.C., Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Oregon making them the first Imperial Courts outside of San Francisco. "It all came together magically in the fall of 1970 and throughout 1971 with the launch of the first Annual Drag Balls between Vancouver B.C., Seattle, WA, Portland, OR, San Francisco, CA, and Los Angeles, CA. Each Court spent 1970-1972 coming together in formal agreement as the five Founding Charters that their Empresses would be elected by public vote of the community under the name of the International Court System." By 1995 at the 30th Anniversary of the 1965 founding of the Imperial Court of San Francisco, under Sarria's leadership over 60 Imperial Courts and Empires had been established throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
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Today, the Imperial Court System thrives with over 70 chapters nationwide, including Mexico and Canada. The Imperial Court of Los Angeles and Hollywood continues its work and premise of improving the lives of LGBTQ+ Angelenos and neighboring communities, serving their community for 55 years!