Digital Transgender Archive

Biography and Images of Felicia Elizondo

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This item contains potentially sensitive content related to racist language. A comprehensive file of clippings from Felicia Elizondo's life experiences as a queer trans Mexican-American. She was bullied in her youth and then went on to join the U.S. Navy. but was dishonorably discharged after coming out as gay. These files detail her experiences as an HIV/AIDS survivor and activist, fundraising through drag performances. She was also recognized by former president Barack Obama for her services to the transgender community, especially in the Tenderloin. Also included are images of Felicia in slideshow format. Like many autobiographical fragments in Elizondo's collection, this material consists of isolated pages from published and unpublished sources which were found together. This item comes from the Felicia “Flames” Elizondo papers (#2021-06) at the GLBT Historical Society. Felicia Elizondo, who performed as Felicia Flames, was a Chicana trans woman and drag queen associated with San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood. She was a regular at Gene Compton's Cafeteria at the time of the Compton's Cafeteria Riot, a historic 1966 uprising by trans and queer people. Elizondo performed for many years at Aunt Charlie's Lounge alongside her close friend Vicki Marlane. This collection contains Elizondo's writings, photographs of her and her community, ephemera she collected about local drag and queer topics, and materials about Marlane and her legacy.

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