Crystal LaBeija
Crystal LaBeija was born in the 1930s.
She initially worked in the 1960s Manhattan drag circuit and went on to win “Miss Manhattan".”
On February 13th, 1967 she competed in the Miss All-America Camp beauty contest. After being announced as the third runner up, Crystal took the judges to task for their prejudicial judging practices that resulted in a younger, less glamorous white woman winning the title.
This moment can be seen in the 1968 documentary, The Queen. (keep scrolling to watch)
Frank ocean used the most well-known part of Crystal’s rant on “Ambience 001: “In a Certain Way” from his seminal album, Endless. (scroll to the end to listen)
In 1972, Crystal and Lottie hosted their own ball, “Crystal & Lottie LaBeija presents: “The 1st Annual House of LaBeija Ball” at the Up the Downstairs Case in Harlem, New York. This was the first ball the centered Black and Brown queer and trans people.
Crystal died in the mid 1990s from organ failure, allegedly brought on by taking unregulated hormones.
The Royal House of Labeija was the first ballroom house and it still exists to this day.