I Live The Life I Love Because I Love the Life I Live

Co-presented with the Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive, this exhibition celebrates Black, Latinx, Asian, and Pacific Islander trans and gender-nonconforming people who lived authentically at the intersections of racism, homophobia, transphobia, and class prejudice. Theirs was often a perilous choice , one that challenged societal boundaries and helped shape the visibility of trans and queer identities today. Highlighting both performance and everyday expressions of identity, this exhibition features studio portraits of gender impersonators from Finocchio's —the famed San Francisco cabaret—and the touring Jewel Box Revue , alongside candid photographs, activist materials, and self-portraits. Featured figures include trailblazing performer Stormé DeLarverie , beloved activist Miss Major Griffin-Gracy , Cuban-born Finocchio's star David de Alba , Chinese performer and designer Li-Kar , and artist and writer Red Jordan Arobateau . Also represented are community organizers and activists such as Brenda Lee and members of the Filipino Task Force on AIDS , who fought for social and medical care for trans people during the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis. This latest installation at the GLBT Historical Society Museum honors the resilience and creativity of trans people of color who risked everything to live openly , create boldly, and fight for a freer, more just future.