Identity: Biological female
Orientation: Lesbian
Known for: Drag king performer, LGBTQ+ community protector, possibly the person who threw the first punch at Stonewall
Early Life and Background
Stormé (pronounced “Stormy”) DeLarverie was born on December 24, 1920, in New Orleans to a Black mother and a white father — an interracial birth that was illegal in most states at the time. She faced racism and rejection from both sides of society. Raised in the South, she often described her childhood as traumatic and full of confusion about identity and belonging.
She later moved to Chicago, then New York, and found her place in the performing arts — particularly in drag and male impersonation.
Career and Identity
From the 1950s to the 1960s, Stormé toured with the Jewel Box Revue, the first racially integrated drag performance troupe in North America. She performed as the only drag king (biological female presenting as male) among dozens of male drag queens. Audiences were often shocked to find out she was a woman.
She did not identify as transgender. In her own words, she was a butch lesbian — and described herself as simply being “me.”
“All I had to do was just be me and let people use their imaginations. It never changed me. I was still a woman.”
(Stormé: The Lady of the Jewel Box, 1987 — as quoted in Malinda Lo)
Role at Stonewall
Stormé is often credited with starting or escalating the Stonewall Uprising on June 28, 1969. Eyewitnesses recall that a butch lesbian resisted arrest, fought back against police, and called out to the crowd, “Why don’t you guys do something?”
Many believe this was Stormé.
While she never explicitly claimed to have thrown the first punch, she admitted in interviews to being there and participating. Others, including fellow activists, say it was her resistance that catalyzed the crowd.
“It was a rebellion, it was an uprising, it was a civil rights disobedience — it wasn’t no damn riot.”
(*Stormé DeLarverie, as quoted by Legacy Project Chicago)
Later Life and Activism
After Stonewall, Stormé became a well-known protector of the LGBTQ+ community in New York City. She worked as a bouncer, bodyguard, and volunteer street patrol, often armed and often intervening in assaults or harassment cases against lesbians and gay men.
She referred to herself as the "Rosa Parks of the gay community."
In her later years, she lived quietly at the Chelsea Hotel and was supported by LGBTQ+ elder care organizations. She passed away in 2014 at the age of 93.
Why Stormé Matters
Was present at Stonewall and helped ignite the response.
Was a biological female, identifying as a butch lesbian, not transgender.
Was part of queer resistance decades before mainstream Pride.
Is often erased or downplayed in favor of narratives focused on male-presenting, gender-fluid individuals — despite being arguably the first person to resist physically at Stonewall.
Works Cited
Carter, David. Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution. St. Martin’s Press, 2004.
A definitive historical account based on interviews, arrest records, and primary documents. Used to confirm eyewitness accounts of a butch lesbian resisting arrest during the raid — widely believed to be Stormé DeLarverie — and to provide context on who was actually present during the uprising.
Stormé: The Lady of the Jewel Box. Directed by Michelle Parkerson, 1987.
A documentary featuring Stormé in her own words. Source of the quote: “All I had to do was just be me and let people use their imaginations. It never changed me. I was still a woman.” Also offers insight into her identity, style, and public persona during her career with the Jewel Box Revue.
Lo, Malinda. “The Legendary Stormé DeLarverie.” MalindaLo.com, June 3, 2021.
Cites and contextualizes Stormé’s quote from the 1987 documentary. Provides additional clarity on her identity as a butch lesbian, not transgender, and her significance to the early LGBTQ+ resistance movement.
Legacy Project Chicago. “Stormé DeLarverie.” legacyprojectchicago.org
Confirms Stormé’s lifelong activism, community defense work, and role in Stonewall. Source of her quote: “It was a rebellion, it was an uprising, it was a civil rights disobedience — it wasn’t no damn riot.”
National Park Service. “Stormé DeLarverie.” nps.gov
Used to verify biographical details including her birth, upbringing, role with the Jewel Box Revue, and post-Stonewall activism. Published by a federal cultural preservation authority as part of its LGBTQ+ history documentation.