Southern California Imperial Court Drag Organization Broadsides, 1970s

[LGBTQ][Cross-dressing] Three broadsides relating to the Imperial Court, one of the oldest and largest LGBTQ organizations in the world. Orange County, California: Imperial Court of Orange County, 1978. Three broadsides. A vibrant archive of campaign and promotional flyers from the Orange County chapter of the Imperial Court System, one of North America’s most enduring queer charitable and performative institutions. Issued in 1978 during the lead-up to the selection of the second Empress and Emperor of Orange County, these flyers document the candidacies of drag queen Mother Earth for Empress II and drag performer Kitty Kiddie for Emperor II, as well as (truncated) an affiliated fundraising event.

Stylistically exuberant and camp-forward, the materials exemplify the visual vernacular of 1970s drag pageantry: hand-rendered illustrations, double entendres, playful typographic excess, and slogans like “Put camp back in the title” and “Happiness is a tight pussy.” The flyers promote the pageantry and community celebration characteristic of the Imperial Court, and demonstrate the deep intertwinement of satire, glamour, and service in the Court’s work. The pink event flyer advertises a benefit show held August 6, 1978, at the bar Rumour Hazzit in Garden Grove, complete with disco, a 50/50 raffle, and an auction led by drag queen Lady G. Proceeds were earmarked for the Orange County Fifth Imperial Court, illustrating the critical function of nightlife-based mutual aid in the pre-AIDS queer community of Southern California. Together, these pieces testify to the early efforts to cultivate queer civic identity and visibility in a politically conservative region. Faint creasing, very good overall. A rare record of this iconic organization's community events in 1970s Orange County. (Inventory #: 22033)