EVENINGS OUT

Imperial Queen City Court wins award for service

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Empress i José, the Widow Norton, center, is joined by Emperor IV Jim “Spike" Taylor and Empress VII Oxana Da’Bull at the second annual José Honors.

by Jim Taylor

Cincinnati-The Imperial Sovereign Queen City Court of the Buckeye Empire has been raising funds with fun and style for AIDS and other charities throughout the year, and June will be no exception.

Among the Court's many Pride month benefit events, on June 14 the Court will host the fourth annual Art Auction "Heart's Desire." This event will benefit AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Gay and Lesbian Community Center.

The Court of Cincinnati received the ..."Court of Distinction" award for its service to the community at the second annual Empress José Honors held March 27 in New York City.

The Court was selected as the recipient of this year's honor from the more than 65 courts throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Great Britain that make up the International Court System. The decision was based on the significant growth and dedication of the organization over the years.

The Court began very small with fundraisers starting out as small shows, but has grown to include the annual Tree of Life, the annual Art Auction, and the annual Celebrity T-shirt Auction, to name a few. The Court's mission and by-laws have been finetuned during the years to ensure that the organization is operated in the most professional manner possible.

The image of the Court within the Cincinnati community has grown and the group is now considered to be one of the most influential and successful fund raising organizations in the Cincinnati lesbian and gay community. The Court has been successful in attracting major corporate sponsors to endorse and underwrite its events.

Since 1990, the Court has donated more than $160,000 to AIDS-related and other charities. The Court's charities for this year are the AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati and the American Foundation for AIDS Research. How did all this start?

Well, in 1849, London immigrant Joshua Norton settled in San Francisco. He built an empire of sorts in real estate and investments, and subsequently lost everything in the rice trade. For whatever reason (pride?) he picked himself up and declared to the news and national leaders that he was

Norton I, "Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico."

One who has everything and had lost everyone, he became an ambassador of good will. His mission was to help those who were in need.

This is all fact, according to Court members. His title was recognized and his opinions considered by Abraham Lincoln and some leaders in Europe. He dressed in a flamboyant regal uniform that was donated to him yearly by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

According to history, Norton died sud--denly in 1880. An enormous monument engraved with the words “Joshua Norton, Em-· peror of the United States and Protector of Mexico" marks his grave in San Francisco.

His life might have been forgotten if it weren't for gay bar owner José Sarria. Sarria ran for San Francisco supervisor (city council member) in 1961 as an openly gay candidate, the first to do so. It is said that he stood at Norton's grave, shrouded in black, and declared himself "Empress I of San Francisco, the Widow of Norton," with a commitment to continue his legacy.

At that time, unbeknownst to José, the Widow Norton began the International Court System. The court system has grown to one of the largest gay and lesbian organizations in the world. Individual courts continue to foster the legacy set by Joshua Norton of helping those in need and providing an environment where all people can be involved for fun, friendship, fellowship and fund raising.

At the second annual José Honors in New York, the Widow Norton Empress I José declared, "As this year's recipient of the Empress I José Honor you can enjoy the knowledge that your tireless efforts and valuable work for our community are recognized and appreciated. You have carried forth the ideals of my late husband, Joshua Abraham Norton, by working to improve the lives of those who are less fortunate and ease the suffering of the infirm. You have achieved this with dignity, grace, and most of all, fun."

Jim "Spike" Taylor is Emperor IV of the Imperial Sovereign Queen City Court of the Buckeye Empire. Daniel R. Mullen contributed to this story.

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