Lady Catiria
Encyclopedia
Catiria Reyes better known as Lady Catiria, was a Puerto Rican
drag
performer, film actress, and transgender
beauty pageant winner. She was one of the main performers at the New York City Latino
nightclub La Escuelita, where she entertained crowds for almost two decades. She was the first person to win two titles at the Miss Continental
pageant in Chicago
. Towards the end of her life, she became an advocate for AIDS
awareness.
, impersonating the Puerto Rican TV performer Iris Chacón
. In the early 1980s, Lady Catiria moved to La Escuelita, a gay club located in midtown Manhattan, where she developed an extremely large following that would faithfully attend her lip-synching
performances, especially on Saturday nights. Lady Catiria, who was a transsexual
woman, stood out from other performers because of her extremely sensuous body, great beauty, provocative dance moves and penchant for exhibitionism. In general, she did not speak during her performances or while off-stage.
In the 1990s, Lady Catiria went on to participate in drag beauty pageants. In 1993 she won the Miss Continental Plus pageant, which features large-bodied trans and drag women. She then decided to compete in the Miss Continental pageant, which she won in 1995. She spent nearly $20,000 preparing for the contest, including dieting, working out with a trainer, traveling to Mexico to get liposuction, and eventually losing 30 pounds. It was while preparing for this competition that she learned that she was HIV
positive.
The same year she won the Miss Continental pageant, Lady Catiria appeared in a cameo
in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
, a film starring Wesley Snipes
, Patrick Swayze
, and John Leguizamo
as three New York drag queens who embark on a road trip. Lady Catiria appears at the beginning of the film, in a scene in which the main characters are competing at a drag beauty pageant held at Webster Hall
. She is presented as "Catiria Reyes."
Lady Catiria announced she was HIV positive at the 1996 Miss Continental show during her last performance as reigning title holder. For this occasion, she had a $1,800 gown made, which was plain black with an AIDS ribbon in rhinestones as the collar. She also had her crown done over in red to match. She played a prerecorded tape, explaining that she was sick and needed everyone's support, and then did her number. Over 2,000 people attended this performance.
In February 1999, Lady Catiria received a farewell tribute at La Nueva Escuelita nightclub. She was unable to attend as she was recuperating from chemotherapy needed to fight Kaposi's sarcoma
lesions that had developed in her lungs. She died from AIDS complications on May 3, 1999, and was buried in Puerto Rico
.
Lady Catiria was featured in a June 1999 article in POZ
magazine, where she was portrayed as an inspiration to people living with HIV/AIDS.
, Angel Sheridan, and Mistress Maddie have credited Lady Catiria for her role as a mentor and friend. Candis Cayne, who went on to win the Miss Continental award, credits Lady Catiria for motivating her to participate in this pageant. The Puerto Rican actress Rosie Perez
has also described being a Lady Catiria fan and attending her show numerous times, after John Leguizamo took her to La Escuelita for the first time.
Puerto Rican gay scholars such as Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes
have also written about Lady Catiria's importance in the gay New York City community. Others have paid tribute online. La Nueva Escuelita released a memorial VHS and DVD compilation of performances by Lady Catiria and has a prominently featured display case with her Miss Continental gown and crown. The nightclub also includes numerous photos of her on its website.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
drag
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
performer, film actress, and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
beauty pageant winner. She was one of the main performers at the New York City Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
nightclub La Escuelita, where she entertained crowds for almost two decades. She was the first person to win two titles at the Miss Continental
Miss Continental
Miss Continental is an annual transgender beauty pageant founded in 1980. It is organized by the founder of the Baton Show Lounge in Chicago and is usually held over Labor Day weekend.-Winners:*1980: Chilli Pepper*1981: Heather Fontaine...
pageant in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Towards the end of her life, she became an advocate for AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
awareness.
Performance career
Lady Catiria began her career at the age of 19 years in the neighborhood of Jackson Heights, QueensJackson Heights, Queens
Jackson Heights is a neighborhood in the Northwestern portion of the borough of Queens in New York, New York, United States. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 3...
, impersonating the Puerto Rican TV performer Iris Chacón
Iris Chacón
Iris Chacón is a dancer, singer, and entertainer. She enjoys great popularity in Puerto Rico and in other Latin American countries, as well as such US locales as New York, Miami, and Los Angeles.-Career:Chacon has been known by various nicknames, such as "La Bomba de Puerto Rico" Iris Chacón...
. In the early 1980s, Lady Catiria moved to La Escuelita, a gay club located in midtown Manhattan, where she developed an extremely large following that would faithfully attend her lip-synching
Lip sync
Lip sync, lip-sync, lip-synch is a technical term for matching lip movements with sung or spoken vocals...
performances, especially on Saturday nights. Lady Catiria, who was a transsexual
Transsexualism
Transsexualism is an individual's identification with a gender inconsistent or not culturally associated with their biological sex. Simply put, it defines a person whose biological birth sex conflicts with their psychological gender...
woman, stood out from other performers because of her extremely sensuous body, great beauty, provocative dance moves and penchant for exhibitionism. In general, she did not speak during her performances or while off-stage.
In the 1990s, Lady Catiria went on to participate in drag beauty pageants. In 1993 she won the Miss Continental Plus pageant, which features large-bodied trans and drag women. She then decided to compete in the Miss Continental pageant, which she won in 1995. She spent nearly $20,000 preparing for the contest, including dieting, working out with a trainer, traveling to Mexico to get liposuction, and eventually losing 30 pounds. It was while preparing for this competition that she learned that she was HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
positive.
The same year she won the Miss Continental pageant, Lady Catiria appeared in a cameo
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar is a 1995 American comedy film, starring Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, and John Leguizamo as three New York drag queens who embark on a road trip...
, a film starring Wesley Snipes
Wesley Snipes
Wesley Trent Snipes is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist, who has starred in numerous action films, thrillers, and dramatic feature films. Snipes is known for playing the Marvel Comics character Blade in the Blade film trilogy, among various other high profile roles...
, Patrick Swayze
Patrick Swayze
Patrick Wayne Swayze was an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter. He was best known for his tough-guy roles, as romantic leading men in the hit films Dirty Dancing and Ghost, and as Orry Main in the North and South television miniseries. He was named by People magazine as its "Sexiest...
, and John Leguizamo
John Leguizamo
Jonathan Alberto "John" Leguizamo is an Colombian-American actor, producer, voice artist, and comedian.-Early life:...
as three New York drag queens who embark on a road trip. Lady Catiria appears at the beginning of the film, in a scene in which the main characters are competing at a drag beauty pageant held at Webster Hall
Webster Hall
Webster Hall is a nightclub located at 125 East 11th Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues, near Astor Place, in Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1886, its current incarnation was opened by the Ballinger Brothers in 1992...
. She is presented as "Catiria Reyes."
Lady Catiria announced she was HIV positive at the 1996 Miss Continental show during her last performance as reigning title holder. For this occasion, she had a $1,800 gown made, which was plain black with an AIDS ribbon in rhinestones as the collar. She also had her crown done over in red to match. She played a prerecorded tape, explaining that she was sick and needed everyone's support, and then did her number. Over 2,000 people attended this performance.
In February 1999, Lady Catiria received a farewell tribute at La Nueva Escuelita nightclub. She was unable to attend as she was recuperating from chemotherapy needed to fight Kaposi's sarcoma
Kaposi's sarcoma
Kaposi's sarcoma is a tumor caused by Human herpesvirus 8 , also known as Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus . It was originally described by Moritz Kaposi , a Hungarian dermatologist practicing at the University of Vienna in 1872. It became more widely known as one of the AIDS defining...
lesions that had developed in her lungs. She died from AIDS complications on May 3, 1999, and was buried in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
.
Lady Catiria was featured in a June 1999 article in POZ
POZ (magazine)
POZ is a monthly magazine that chronicles the lives of people affected by HIV/AIDS. Its website, Poz.com, has daily HIV/AIDS news, treatment information, forums, blogs and personals....
magazine, where she was portrayed as an inspiration to people living with HIV/AIDS.
Legacy
Numerous drag queens and transgender performers such as Candis CayneCandis Cayne
Candis Cayne is an American actress and performance artist.Known in the New York City nightclub scene since the 1990s, Cayne came to national attention in 2007 for portraying transgender mistress Carmelita on ABC's prime time drama Dirty Sexy Money...
, Angel Sheridan, and Mistress Maddie have credited Lady Catiria for her role as a mentor and friend. Candis Cayne, who went on to win the Miss Continental award, credits Lady Catiria for motivating her to participate in this pageant. The Puerto Rican actress Rosie Perez
Rosie Perez
Rosa María "Rosie" Pérez is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, director and community activist.- Early life :...
has also described being a Lady Catiria fan and attending her show numerous times, after John Leguizamo took her to La Escuelita for the first time.
Puerto Rican gay scholars such as Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes
Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes
Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes is a gay Puerto Rican author, scholar, and performer. He is better known as Larry La Fountain. He has received several awards for his creative writing and scholarship as well as for his work with Latino and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students...
have also written about Lady Catiria's importance in the gay New York City community. Others have paid tribute online. La Nueva Escuelita released a memorial VHS and DVD compilation of performances by Lady Catiria and has a prominently featured display case with her Miss Continental gown and crown. The nightclub also includes numerous photos of her on its website.
See also
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- List of gay, lesbian or bisexual people
- Puerto Ricans in the United StatesPuerto Ricans in the United StatesStateside Puerto Ricans are American citizens of Puerto Rican origin, including those who migrated from Puerto Rico to the United States and those who were born outside of Puerto Rico in the United States...
External links
- Catiria Reyes at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...