Jungle Lust Costume
Jungle Lust Costume
Gulf Coast Archive & Museum of GLBT History [GCAM]
Jessica Griffiths
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Jungle Lust Performer
Performer at the annual Jungle Lust Party
Gulf Coast Archive & Museum of GLBT History [GCAM]
Jessica Griffiths
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Jungle Lust Performer
Performer at the annual Jungle Lust Party
Gulf Coast Archive & Museum of GLBT History [GCAM]
Jessica Griffiths
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Lady Victoria Lust a.k.a. Marvin Davis
Drag Queens
Marvin Davis, who performed as Lady Victoria Lust, was a Houston-based drag queen in the late 80’s-early/mid 90’s. Marvin was passionate in his support for people with AIDS (PWA’s) and donated a large portion of his late life to supporting the PWA community. All of the money he brought in performing as Lady Victoria Lust went to PWA charities -- most of which he founded himself. The support given by the charities covers a wide range of needs: money on the holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas food donations, meals in general, and medicine. Some, before the times of the 501(c)(3) boom, would help people pay rent and receive medical assistance.
Some of the charities were very expansive. The LVL PWA Campsite, held once during September and again around Mother’s Day each year, was started after Marvin visited the TCC Landsite in 1993. Marvin was so moved by his experience that he was inspired to give the “wilderness” experience to less well-off people. The first one was held in 1995. Marvin died shortly after the third camp took place. However, this event is still held. Visitors can be sponsored and have everything done for them while there; medical professionals are brought in, a makeshift kitchen is available, and lunch is served on Saturdays.
Some of the charities started very, very small. The PWA Holiday Charity, which is still active today, started when, in late 1987, Marvin chose to put together the “PWA Christmas Benefit.” The idea was to put on a drag show to raise money, all of which would then be given cash-in-hand to PWA’s to spend however they wished. The show raised $400.00, and eighty PWA’s received a card in the mail with a five-dollar-bill inside. After a huge positive reaction from the community, Marvin decided to continue the show.
Eventually, after multiple successes, Marvin worked with the Colt 45’s (another group that focused on PWA support work) to create a sub-group within the Colt 45’s group with 501(c)(3) status, dubbed “The PWA Holiday Fund.” After 1996, the board of the group succeeded in retrieving their own 501(c)(3) status. Unfortunately, Marvin died of cardiac arrest before he was able to see this status approved.
Images: Gulf Coast Archive & Museum of GLBT History [GCAM]
Text: http://www.pwaholidaycharities.org/Lady_Victoria_Lust.php
http://gcam.org
Physical object
Mary's
Houston Drag Bars
Said by Outsmart to have anchored Houston’s gay community in Montrose, Mary’s was a gay bar in Houston, Texas that opened as Mary’s Naturally in 1970 by Jim “Fanny” Farmer. Before its closing in November 2009, Mary’s contributed a significant amount of money, effort, and fun to the LGBTQ+ community.
During its life, Mary’s was described as “the place to get off.” An unofficial rule of Mary’s was that underwear couldn’t be worn; before the pairs were taken down in the 80’s, newcomers’ underwear were draped on the rafters. Mary’s wasn’t just a place to have fun, though. It also became a place where gay men organized community and political events, and a lot of the profit (including the tips from drag performances and vegetables from the garden out back) was donated to charity.
Matusow, C. (2016, April 02). Zipping Up Mary's. Retrieved February 22, 2017, from http://www.houstonpress.com/news/zipping-up-marys-6557633
Mary's Mural Returns BUT Is Montrose still the 'gay-borhood' (2015, February 17). Retrieved February 22, 2017, from
Mary's Bar
Mary's Bar
Pictures from houstonlgbthistory.org of ads and murals from Mary's bar in Houston.
http://www.houstonlgbthistory.org/houston-marys.html
Meteor Lounge -- Houston Press
Houston Drag Bars, specifically Meteor Lounge
Houston Press
Guerra, J. (n.d.). Meteor Lounge in Montrose turns off the showers. Retrieved February 22, 2017, from http://www.chron.com/entertainment/restaurants-bars/article/Meteor-Lounge-in-Montrose-turns-off-the-showers-8348431.php#photo-9148217
Steinberg, K. (2016, May 22). Male Dancers Getting Wet at Meteor Video Lounge. Retrieved February 22, 2017, from http://www.houstonpress.com/restaurants/male-dancers-getting-wet-at-meteor-video-lounge-6430637
Chron, Houston Press
Website
Miss Camp America
Houston Drag Pageants
The Miss Camp America Pageant began in 1969 as a birthday party for Pat Petty. This competition ran until 2006 and included more than 250 members. In 1988, the pageant became a foundation has donated over $1 million in profits to charity, primarily AIDS-related charities. After the pageant was retired, the Miss Camp America Pageant crown was gifted to the Gulf Coast Archive & Museum of GLBT History [GCAM]. The crown can be seen on display at the first floor Cultural Center in the Montrose Counseling Center building. The name itself is a play on the Miss America pageant and the pageant is supposed to be a parody of the Miss America Pageant. The Miss Camp America organization was also very engaged in the community.
According to This Week in Texas, members of Miss Camp America visited AIDS patients in local hospitals on a monthly basis. During the year of 1990, they distributed practical gifts to each patient. For the holidays, they made and distributed special gifts appropriate for the season (This Week in Texas, 1990). The chairman of the board during that time, David Stewart, spoke about the strong support they also showed to the Stone Soup food pantry. Each month, members of Miss Camp America published “a list of most-needed items in [their] newsletter. [Their] members [brought] those items to [their] monthly meeting and they [were] delivered to the Stone Soup food pantry” (This Week in Texas, 1990). They as well provide many other fund-raising organizations with “manpower, costumes and sometimes even the campiest showgirls in town” (This Week in Texas, 1990). Miss Camp America’s community involvement included organizations such as Star Nite ‘90, Stone Soups, AIDS Foundation Houston, the Gay Switchboard of Houston, and the Montrose Clinic.
http://www.houstonlgbthistory.org/misc-mca.html
Miss Camp America. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2017, from http://www.houstonlgbthistory.org/misc-mca.html
Miss Camp America at UH
Miss Camp America at UH
Flyer for the 25th Miss Camp America Pageant at UH Cullen Performance Hall
This Week in Texas
http://www.houstonlgbthistory.org/misc-mca.html
Miss Camp America Crown
Miss Camp America
Gulf Coast Archive & Museum of GLBT History [GCAM] is the Custodian of the Miss Camp America Crown.
GCAM
http://houstonarch.pbworks.com/w/page/19526147/GCAM%20Collection
Gulf Coast Archive & Museum of GLBT History [GCAM]
Amanda Cervantes
Rights to this material belong to GCAM
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