By Dennis Richmond Jr.
World AIDS Day is one of the most important days of the year for the LGBTQ+ community. Folx across the nation will raise awareness about AIDS on December 1st,2022. I’m focusing on raising awareness about four LGBTQ+ legends and icons: Angie Xtravaganza, Alvin Ailey, Dorian Corey, and Sterling Saint Jacques.
Angie Xtravaganza (1964-1993) was an iconic and legendary performer. Co-founder and Mother of the House of Xtravaganza, Xtravaganza knew how to work a runway. The House of Xtravaganza, founded during the Summer of 1982, is one of the iconic Ballroom Houses. The Ballroom Scene is a staple in the LGBTQ+ community. Angie Xtravaganz appears in Michael Cunningham’s article, “The Slap of Love,” in 1988. She also appears in Paris is Burning, the 1990 documentary about the LGBTQ+ Ballroom Scene in New York in the 1980s. Her legacy and the legacy of those around her helped shape Ballroom culture today.
Alvin Ailey (1931-1989) was a dancer, choreographer, activist, and director. Ailey is the creator of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. His center was a refuge for cultivating Black creatives and expressing the Black experience through dance. Ailey, an icon, and a legend produced Revelations in 1960. The piece has been called a masterpiece. Today, it is one of the most popular and most performed ballets ever.
Dorian Corey (1937-1993) was a performer and a fashion designer. In the 1970s, Corey went by the name of Tony LaFrisky. The LaFrisky name was during the days of the Pearl Box Revue. Corey did everything from touring as a snake dancer to creating her own house, House of Corey. An icon and a legend herself, Corey was the house mother to Angie Xtravaganza. Corey also founded and ran a clothing label called Corey Design.
Sterling Saint Jacques (1957-1984) was a model and actor who took the 1970s and 1980s by storm. Arguably the first Black male supermodel, much of the life of Saint Jacques and many other folx in the LGBTQ+ Community from decades ago, remain hidden. Saint Jacques did know how to dance. He also appeared on various magazine covers, and he modeled for Givenchy. Saint Jacques appeared in movies too. Book of Numbers in 1973, Sistemo l’America e torno in 1974, and Eyes of Laura Mars in 1978 are all films that show Saint Jacques.
According to UNAIDS, “40.1 million [33.6 million–48.6 million] people have died from AIDS-related illnesses since the start of the epidemic.” Millions of folx across the world have been affected by AIDS, and it’s depressing. Brilliant minds, creative people, and iconic individuals are gone.
Rest in peace to everyone who we lost because of AIDS.
Dennis Richmond, Jr., is an author and journalist focused on the Black, Latinx, and LGBTQIA+ Community. He lives in Yonkers. Follow him on Twitter @NewYorkStakz.
