A Reflection by the Reigning Monarchs of San Francisco on completing a regal year of fundraising, travel and supporting their local community, while working to preserve their organization’s history and legacy
San Francisco is one of those magical places where odd and strange things can happen and no one bats an eyelash. For the past 50 years, residents of San Francisco have elected monarchs to support and fundraise for our community, as well as to represent our uniqueness through travels and royal visits to other empires and realms across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Our fair city was home to the First Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico, Emperor Joshua Norton, and to the first openly gay person in the United States to run for public office, José Sarria, who would go on to become the first Absolute Empress I, The Widow Norton. The rest, you can say, is history and what San Francisco legends are made of. Empress José went on to establish and found the International Court System, a collective union of over 65 chapters across the United States, Canada and Mexico that all work together to support their local communities through fundraising and outreach efforts.
But what does it mean to be a monarch, especially in today’s day and age? What exactly can one do in a year’s time? How do you leave your mark after so many great men and women, and men dressed as women, have done so much before you? And finally, how do monarchs leave their community better off than it was when they were given the reigns and crowns to lead for the next year?
Just a little over a year ago, 378 days to be exact, we were elected as the Reigning Monarchs. (Empress Khmera Rouge became the 50th elected Empress of San Francisco, as well as of San Mateo and Marin County, while Emperor Kevin Lisle became the 43rd elected Emperor of San Francisco, as well as of San Mateo and Marin County.)
From that first night at the crowning at the Galleria Design Center to the beautiful 50th Anniversary Gala held under the magnificent rotunda of City Hall, we began a yearlong journey into fundraising, community outreach and travel. It was all fun and games. It was all dress up and make-believe. But the personal connections we made, and the money we worked very hard to raise, had a very real impact on the non-profit organizations and community groups we serve.
We met a few challenges and setbacks along the way this year. One was the passing in May 2015 of our newly seated Imperial Council of San Francisco Board Chair and dear friend, Emperor XXXII After Norton, Fernando Robles. We miss him very much, and hope we made him proud of what we were able to accomplish this past year.
As we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the International Imperial Court System and traveled the country, we were granted an honorary title by the titular head of Court System, Queen Mother I of the Americas, Nicole the Great. We were named the Golden Jubilee Monarchs of the International Court System. Talk about pressure. With that honor, our court logged nearly 50,000 miles of travel, visiting over 35 Empires across the U.S. and Canada.
It is hard to believe that as we write this piece, we are down to the last week of what has become a life-changing experience. In a few short days, we will be concluding our Golden Jubilee reign and The Imperial Council of San Francisco will hold Coronation 51 this Saturday, February 27, at our 51st Coronation Gala.
As we began our reign, we set a goal of raising $50,000 for various local charities and causes. We are proud to say we successfully reached that goal and then some, and will be able to distribute those much needed funds to some fantastic organizations, such as the AIDS Emergency Fund, Breast Cancer Emergency Fund, Tenderloin Tessie Holiday Dinners, SF Night Ministries and numerous other beneficiaries.
But as they say, time flies when you are having fun. It’s true when they say that your reign year will be over in the blink of an eye. It has been truly a pleasure to look back and see just how far we have come, not only with this reign, but also as an organization and community.
What was started in 1965 by Empress José I de San Francisco after being crowned Queen at the Beaux Arts Ball, and proclaiming herself Empress, continued in an elegant 50th Anniversary Gala celebrating the founding of the Imperial Council of San Francisco at San Francisco’s City Hall. This past October in Portland, Oregon, we also celebrated the work of The International Court System at the historic Sentinel Hotel Governor’s Ballroom. There, we were honored to receive the International Order of José Saria I from Queen Mother Nicole the Great.
Our year has been a whirlwind of experience that we can only equate to true magic. Some memorable and noteworthy travels included attending New York’s Night of A Thousand Gowns, where we were honored to represent the United States on stage as the American Golden Jubilee Monarchs of the International Imperial Court System, along with delegates from Canada and Mexico. We also had the opportunity to travel to Empires as far away as Alaska and Hawaii, and to other exotic locales such as Lexington, Kentucky, and Indianapolis, Indiana, where Empress Khmera was honored to have had the opportunity to crown the first heads of state at that city’s first coronation ball.
During our bid for Emperor and Empress, we were also fortunate enough to be a part of a documentary project being filmed and produced by Absolute Empress XXXVI, Chablis (David Lassman) and by award-winning director Jethro Patalinghug. It is entitled 50 Years of Fabulous, the Imperial Council of San Francisco. We’ve found that to truly grow and move forward, we must make sacrifices and be willing to change, but we must never lose sight of who we are or where we came from. To that end, preserving our history and legacy is key. The new film strives to do just that. To learn more, and to support the project, visit 50YearsofFab.com
Sadly, all good things must come to an end. We look forward to welcoming and seeing what the future holds. We hope you will be able to join us and celebrate what has truly been a golden year at Koronation 2016: A Space Odyssey on February 27, at the San Francisco Galleria Design Center. For more information, please visit www.imperialcouncilsf.org
With Love,
The Red DAWG Golden Jubilee Emperor, Kevin Lisle, & The Golden Crouching Tigress, Hidden Draggerina Empress, Khmera Rouge
Proud of Our 50th Anniversary Emperor and Empress
We could not have hoped for a more perfect Emperor and Empress in this, our 50th Anniversary! They have represented the Imperial Court of San Francisco across the continent with regality and distinction. Locally, they have drawn new members, presented fresh ideas, and honored our long tradition, raising significant funds for charitable organizations and adding to the fun calendar of events in the City. I am so proud of them both, and so happy to count them as friends.
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