The Murder of Venus Xtravaganza

Venus on one of her last interviews

It's been 29 years, as of July the 2nd of 2017 since Venus Xtravaganza (1) was assassinated and a little bit over 33 years since Jennie Livingston socioeconomic documentary Paris is Burning (2) interviews happened.

It was 26 years ago that for the first time on contemporary media, the phrase "transgender murder" happened within the mouth of the late drag mother Angie Xtravaganza (3), the importance of Venus and Angie comes that on that moment on  August 16th of 1991 where a documentary on the AIDS pandemic bring the life of young LGBT individuals who were shunned by their families and thousands of them dying and being unreported because of their families didn't wanted them.

More importantly, Paris is Burning shows the different aspects of transgender youth who after being rejected by their families, and being left to their own lucks (4) and ultimately finding ways to survive such as resorting into prostitution (5) in which is one of the ways that many meet their untimely death, because there aren't protections on a federal level for transgender women and transgender men that will guarantee a dignified life in which there shouldn't be fear to live on your authentic self.

29 years later after the murder of Venus, there is not enough protections and treatments to give the opportunity to someone to transition and be happy, but also that work related they could have an enviroment in which they shouldn't fear of getting fired for any reason, which could involve harassment or termination without notice

Venus and Willie Ninja

As many transgender women who were murdered, her killer was never apprehended; other killers go with the gay/ trans panic defense (6) which is still used by the perpetrators to avoid jail time and is insane that courts still rule in favor of that. We have reach a point where we should change the word equality to equity in order to represent that we are all equal, because we still as a society give preference.

We can take a look at what happened to Texas (7) in which the Texas Supreme Court reversed the spousal benefits for same sex couples, there is no equality when people in power are playing with the dignity and basic rights of human beings. The importance of Venus goes as she is an icon beyond the NYC ball scene, she is one of the many who represent that 30 years later, there is still inequality.

If someone who reads this entry, has a clue such as the hotel or motel she was murdered, or where to find the police records, please comment below. Thank you.

References:

1. http://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/17921/1/the-legacy-of-venus-xtravaganza
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Is_Burning_(film)
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angie_Xtravaganza
4. http://www.newsweek.com/transgender-murders-protect-trans-women-568558
5. http://www.refinery29.com/2017/04/151401/transgender-women-murder-rate-us-2017
6. https://web.archive.org/web/20080205180344/http://www.courttv.com/archive/trials/mckinney/gay_panic_ruling_ctv.html
7. https://www.dallasnews.com/news/lgbt/2017/06/30/texas-supreme-court-rules-gay-couples-notguaranteedspousal-benefits

Paris is Burning... Paris is Always Burning

Paris is Burning Poster

Jenny Livingston documentary shows the complexity of gender theory; it's difficult to synthesize the complexity of Paris is Burning and the Ball Culture (whose not only a phenomenon of New York City, but rather a  movement where experienced "mothers" or "fathers" of different drag houses give hospitality and stability to young gay men who are at risk). Gender and ethnicity are major components on this documentary that's set on the 1980 and follow the lives of a large group of different drags performances through the Ball circuit of NYC; even 22 years later and 26 years after the documentary was filmed and released it still have validness because the issues between gender, culture, religion and sexuality still collides even after a major set of changes in civil rights and how the media as well social networks to show a more humane side of the LGTBQ culture, and is not easy for a younger generation much of the time to be at peace with their own selves as it was shown in the movie 22 years ago.

The complexity of gender goes beyond the typical archetypes as many people know, even it goes so far beyond the basic understanding many people has about the adjectives of how people can identify themselves such as butch, queer, trans, bi, femme, lipstick, etc... gender is such a wonderful yet subversive element of humanity because we tend to play by the rules set by society and the people who dare to the defy the heteronormative that rules many societies they tend to be seen as strange or aggressive against the norm, but probably we have sleep and become conformist with the norm on how people should act in society without going on a lewd behavior but rather showing how they really are without any necessity of hiding themselves.

Paris is always going to be on fire, because there is always some kind of revolution, artistic, sexual, social, whatever, there is always going to be some kind of revolution that will keep the flame on, but what is amazing about this piece of art it's the treaty of the characters, where behind all the glamour they try to project they show an alienated side where they don't feel appreciated by the society they live because they are not white, straight and successful; they feel that in order to fit in they have to be white but their alienation comes in part of the elitist society that was sold during the 1980's because of shows as Dallas or Dynasty where white Americans were shown as successful, thus leaving on a side the minorities. Probably one reason of the alienation comes with the media, let's take a note on television shows: Dynasty, Dallas, Charles in Charge, Family Ties, Growing Pains where they were popular with the mainstream and they showed succesfull white Americans; now let's take a look on Good Times, Charlie & Co, Gimme a Break, Diff'rent Strokes among others who were in the mainstream but showed weak black Americans who were mostly located on the ghetto or being employed by affluent white people. Thus showing a normative where made several Afro and Latinos excluded and trying to find the examples on how to be successful on a very hostile society. 


The flames are always there; but, it's amazing to think even after all this time, Paris it's still burning because there is always going to be someone who create a chapter in the history of the underground culture of the balls and LGTBQ rights, but overall characters, people such as Angie Xtravaganza, Venus Xtravaganza, Willi Ninja, Dorian Corey and Pepper LaBejia are always going to be there because of the influence they created through their lives, even if they ended in tragedy because of phobia, AIDS, murder. They showed a reality that even 26 years later still exist and not matter where it is, there is always going to be a Paris that is burning.