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Venus Xtravaganza

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Venus Xtravaganza
A still of Xtravaganza from Paris Is Burning
BornMay 5, 1965
Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedDecember 21, 1988(1988-12-21) (aged 23)
New York City, U.S.
Cause of deathStrangulation (murder)
OccupationPerformer
Years active1978 or 1979 – 1988
Notable workParis Is Burning

Venus Pellagatti Xtravaganza (May 5, 1965 – December 21, 1988)[1][2][3] was an American transgender woman.[4] She came to national attention after her appearance in Jennie Livingston's 1990 documentary film Paris Is Burning, in which her life as a ballroom family member and performer forms one of the film's several story arcs.

Early life

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Xtravaganza was born on May 5, 1965, in Jersey City, New Jersey.[5] Her parents were of Italian-American and Puerto Rican descent.[6] She had four brothers.[7] Xtravaganza took the name Venus after a close friend suggested it.

Career

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Xtravaganza states in Paris Is Burning that she began cross-dressing and performing at age 13 or 14, placing her earliest performances around 1978 or 1979.[1][8] Eventually, her family caught on to her lifestyle, and because she did not "want to embarrass them, ... [she] moved away."[8] She moved in with her grandmother at 343.5 8th Street in Jersey City, NJ in order to pursue her true identity. Her ball career began in 1983 when House of Xtravaganza founder Hector Valle invited her to join the house.[1] She stated that he "was the first gay man I ever met."[8]

On her 15th birthday, Valle took her to Greenwich Village, threw her a party, and bought her a cake.[8] After Valle died from AIDS-related complications in 1985, Angie Xtravaganza assumed the role of house mother, and she took on Venus Xtravaganza as her mentee and drag daughter. At the time of filming Paris Is Burning, Xtravaganza was an aspiring model. She said, "I [want] my sex change to make myself feel complete."[8]

Death

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On December 21, 1988, Xtravaganza was found strangled under a bed at the Fulton Hotel at 264 West 46th Street in New York. It was estimated that her body had been there for three or four days before discovery. Shooting for Paris Is Burning was ongoing, and the film's final minutes include Angie Xtravaganza reacting to her death. Angie Xtravaganza said she felt that Venus was one to take too many chances, that she "was too wild with people in the streets", and that she feared "something [was] going to happen to [her]."[8] Angie Xtravaganza was the first person detectives approached with the news of Xtravaganza's death, and it was she who broke the news to the latter's biological family.[8]

In 2022, the New York Police Department (NYPD) reopened Venus's case, prompted by collaborative efforts during the production of the documentary I'm Your Venus. This film chronicles the joint endeavors of Venus's biological family and her ballroom family, the House of Xtravaganza, to honor her memory and pursue justice. The Trans Doe Task Force (TDTF) played a consultative role in this process, advising on DNA evidence processing. Due to the active and ongoing nature of the investigation, specific details remain confidential.[9]

Venus's family successfully petitioned for a posthumous legal name change, officially recognizing her as Venus Pellagatti Xtravaganza.[10]

In Paris Is Burning, Xtravaganza describes a time she narrowly escaped an attack by a man who discovered she was transgender during an intimate encounter, and it is possible her murder occurred during a similar situation. Her killer was never found.[7] She is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, New Jersey.

Family

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In the documentary "I'm your Venus"- The film introduces Venus's biological brothers—John, Joe, and Louie Pellagatti—who share insights into their sibling's early life and their family's journey toward understanding and accepting Venus's identity.  They explain during the documentary that they had accepted Venus while she was alive and that they did their best to be good family members.

Legacy

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  • In their book Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of "Sex", feminist scholar Judith Butler discusses Xtravaganza's interviews in the context of transgender identity and gender theory.[4]
  • In the fall of 2013, a New York City theatre group presented a murder mystery play centered around a fictionalized account of Xtravaganza's murder. Members of the House of Xtravanganza stated in a press release on Facebook that they were not involved in the show's production and withheld their endorsement. In a later press release, they condemned the work as "inappropriate, opportunistic, and disrespectful to Venus' legacy."[11] Xtravaganza's biological family also expressed displeasure with the play.[7]
  • In the reality television competition program RuPaul's Drag Race, contestants and judges frequently allude to lines from Paris Is Burning, many of them Xtravaganza's. A notable example occurs in the second episode of the fourth season, when competitor Willam Belli refers to the opposing team in a challenge as "a bunch of overgrown orangutans", a read (insult) Xtravaganza used in the documentary.[12]
  • The House of Xtravaganza remains active in the ball circuit, nightlife, and LGBTQ activism. It is one of the oldest active houses in New York City.
  • In the documentary film How Do I Look, an award in her name was given to Jazmine Givenchy. The text of the award reads: "THE VENUS XTRAVAGANZA LEGENDS AWARD Presented To JAZMINE GIVENCHY Celebrating Black History And Culture Through The Rich Traditions Of The BALLROOM/HOUSE COMMUNITY". February 20, 2004.[13]
  • On March 31, 2023, which is Trans Day of Visibility, the City of Jersey City, New Jersey designated the Pellagatti family home at 343.5 Eighth Street[14] as a historic landmark.[2][3]
  • On June 6, 2024, the film I'm Your Venus premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. The documentary follows Venus' two families, biological and ballroom, as they come together to seek answers and celebrate her legacy.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Historic Preservation Commission Application, Historic Preservation Commission (2023-03-02). "Historic Preservation Commission Application Venus Pellagatti Xtravaganza House Local Designation". Jersey City Historic Preservation. Jersey City. Archived from the original on 2023-04-08. Retrieved 2019-05-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ^ a b Gibbons, Sammy (2023-03-31). "Jersey City dedicates late transgender ballroom performer's home as historic landmark". northjersey.com. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  3. ^ a b denny@reckonmedia.com (2023-04-07). "'A beacon of light and visibility': How late ballroom legend Venus Pellagatti Xtravaganza's home became a historic landmark and why that's major". al.com. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  4. ^ a b Butler, Judith (1993). "Gender Is Burning: Questions of Appropriation and Subversion" (PDF). Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of "Sex". New York: Roudedge. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-07-12. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  5. ^ Nakiska, Tempe (2013-11-20). "The legacy of Venus Xtravaganza". Dazed. Dazed Media. Archived from the original on 2019-04-14. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  6. ^ Hutchinson, Darren Lenard (1997). "Out Yet Unseen: A Racial Critique of Gay and Lesbian Legal Theory and Political Discourse". Connecticut Law Review. 29 (2): 561–645. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  7. ^ a b c Schiller, Rebecca (2018-06-25). "Venus Xtravaganza's Nephew on Her Legacy: 'She Never Envisioned Herself Becoming a Transgender Martyr'". Billboard. Lynne Segall. Archived from the original on 2018-06-25. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Livingston, Jennie (Director) (1990-09-13). Paris Is Burning (Motion picture).
  9. ^ "TDTF Assists on Venus Xtravaganza's Case, Film "I'm Your Venus" :: Trans Doe Task Force Inc". transdoetaskforce.org. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  10. ^ "Exclusive Interview: I'm Your Venus filmmaker Kimberly Reed "Venus Xtravaganza's biological family & her ballroom family have reconciled in a way that gives me a lot of hope"". The Queer Review. 2024-06-13. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  11. ^ House of Xtravaganza (2013-09-19). "PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" (Facebook post). Retrieved 2017-11-17 – via Facebook.
  12. ^ "WTF!: Wrestling's Trashiest Fighters". RuPaul's Drag Race. Season 4. Episode 2. 2012-02-06. Logo TV.
  13. ^ Busch, Wolfgang (Director) (2006-06-04). How Do I Look (Motion picture).
  14. ^ "Historic Preservation Commission Application Venus Pellagatti Xtravaganza House Local Designation H23-028 2023". Jersey City Open Data. 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
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