What is José Sarria?
{{Infobox person |name = José Sarria |image = Jose Sarria 2010 by John Stephen Dwyer.jpg |caption = José Sarria in January 2011 |birth_date = {{birth date|1922|12|22}} |birth_place = [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]], [[California]] |death_date = {{death date and age|2013|8|19|1922|12|22}} |death_place = [[Albuquerque, New Mexico|Albuquerque]], [[New Mexico]] |other_names = The Nightingale of Montgomery Street <br/> Empress José I, The Widow [[Emperor Norton|Norton]] |known_for = The first openly gay candidate for public office in the United States |occupation = Waiter, singer, drag queen, LGBT rights activist, Founder of the Imperial Court System |nationality = [[Americans|American]] }} '''José Sarria''' (December 22, 1922 &ndash; August 19, 2013) was an [[Americans|American]] [[activism|political activist]]. For many years, he performed in [[drag queen|drag]] at the Black Cat Bar in [[San Francisco]], [[California]]. He ran for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1961, making him the first [[closeted|openly gay]] candidate for public office in the United States.<ref>{{citation |author=Aldrich, Robert and Garry Witherspoon |year=2001 |title=Who's Who in Contemporary Gay and Lesbian History |volume=2 |publisher=Routledge |isbn= |page=370}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2013/08/jose-julio-sarria-americas-first-openly.html|title=Joe. My. God. Jose Julio Sarria, America's First Openly Gay Candidate For Office, Dies At Age 91|publisher=Joe. My. God.|date=August 19, 2013|accessdate=August 19, 2013}}</ref> A portion of a San Francisco street was named in his honor. == Early life == Sarria was born in San Francisco to Julio Sarria and Maria Dolores Maldonado on December 22, 1922.<ref name = pettis>{{cite web | last = Pettis | first = Ruth M | title = Sarria, Jose (1923?) | publisher = glbtq | year = 2004 | url = http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/sarria_j.html | quote = His birth certificate states December 12, 1923, but Sarria suspects tha