Rule No. 9

Rule No. 9 was a city ordinance in Los Angeles, California which made it illegal for performers to "impersonate by means of costume or dress a member of the opposite sex" without a special permit from the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners.[1][2] Enforced in 1967, this outlawed cross-dressing and drag,[3] and effectively criminalised transgender performers. It was notably used to prevent transgender dancer Sir Lady Java from performing.[4]

Java had had a successful two-week performance at the Red Foxx,[2][note 1] a club on La Cienaga,[1] but the police invoked Rule No. 9, threatening to arrest the owner if she was allowed to perform again.[3] Java picketed the club, arguing the ordinance violated her right to work and challenged it in court with the ACLU.[2][5][6] At the time, California's anti-masquerading law had already been declared unconstitutional, meaning that the acts Rule No. 9 prevented from being on stage were legal on the streets.[1][7]

The courts ruled that only club or bar owners could sue the police department, but Java and the ACLU could not find anyone willing to join the suit.[2] Rule No. 9 was struck down as part of a decision by the California Supreme Court in 1969 where a different cabaret law was challenged and defeated.[8]

See also

Notes
  1. The club's actual name is unclear but sources generally agree it was owned by entertainer Redd Foxx and was known by his name.[2][5][6]

References
  1. Marc Stein (2019). The Stonewall Riots: A Documentary History. NYU Press. pp. 101–102. ISBN 9781479816859. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  2. Khary Polk (Summer 2013). "Malcolm X, Sexual Hearsay, and Masculine Dissemblance". Biography. 36 (3): 571–572. JSTOR 24570210. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  3. "The Work of the ACLU: Linking Gender Identity and Gay Rights". ACLU. Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  4. James Gilliam (17 December 2010). "Pride: Sir Lady Java and the ACLU/SC". ACLU of Southern California. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  5. "Feminist to Know: Sir Lady Java". Uterish. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  6. "That's Life". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 16 November 1967. p. 37. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  7. Marina Manoukian (14 December 2020). "The Untold Truth Of Trans Rights Hero Sir Lady Java". Grunge.com. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  8. Emma Powys Maurice (12 November 2020). "Pose star Hailie Sahar to play trans rights hero Sir Lady Java in new biopic. Yes, a trans actor has actually been cast in a trans role". Pink News. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.