James R Herndon

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James R Herndon

Birth
Scott County, Kentucky, USA
Death
16 Dec 1983 (aged 91)
Fayette County, Kentucky, USA
Burial
Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky, USA GPS-Latitude: 38.0606656, Longitude: -84.5130234
Plot
Section D-1, Lot G, Grave 128
Memorial ID
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Herndon was Lexington's best-known and well-loved African-American transvestite, appearing on the streets in drag as early as the 1920s. Surprisingly, Herndon was not scorned but embraced by the community. Worked at Good Samaritan Hospital for most of his life. He was generally known not by his real name but by his Drag names, "Sweet Evening Breeze" or "Miss Sweets".

In a famous court case, Herndon, along with fellow drag queen Leigh Angelique, was responsible for overturning Lexington's archaic law on the books against crossdressing.

For his achievement of being himself against the odds, the Royal Sovereign Imperial Court of All Kentucky named its highest honor the James Herndon Award.
Herndon was Lexington's best-known and well-loved African-American transvestite, appearing on the streets in drag as early as the 1920s. Surprisingly, Herndon was not scorned but embraced by the community. Worked at Good Samaritan Hospital for most of his life. He was generally known not by his real name but by his Drag names, "Sweet Evening Breeze" or "Miss Sweets".

In a famous court case, Herndon, along with fellow drag queen Leigh Angelique, was responsible for overturning Lexington's archaic law on the books against crossdressing.

For his achievement of being himself against the odds, the Royal Sovereign Imperial Court of All Kentucky named its highest honor the James Herndon Award.