In the 1940's, Jose Julio Sarria, a veteran of World War II, entered gay history when he began to occasionally cover at work for his then-boyfriend, a waiter at The Black Cat bar on Montgomery Street in San Francisco.

In post-World War II San Francisco, an influx of gay and lesbian discharged veterans was swelling the city's gay communities. While the Castro was still a primarily heterosexual, blue-collar neighborhood, the Black Cat had already developed an international reputation as a gay meeting place.

One day while Jose served drinks and the pianist was playing Carmen, Sarria began singing arias to the opera.

Soon his arias were a big hit at the Black Cat, and Sarria's reputation for entertainment and performance was born.