It is against this background that in 1965 the International Court System founded by Jose Sarria in San Francisco.

Crowned Queen of the Beaux Arts Ball in 1964, Sarria, stating that he was "already a queen", proclaimed himself "Her Royal Majesty, Empress of San Francisco, José I, The Widow Norton".

Sarria's assumption of the title of Empress led to the establishment of the Imperial Court System.

The Tavern Guild continued to draw the city's gay community together and began to regularly hold events including the annual drag ball. Eventually this ball marked the annual election of a city-wide Empress who succeeded Empress Jose I and subsequent Empresses.

The Imperial Court of San Francisco eventually grew to encompass courts in cities across The US, Canada and Mexico.

This takes us to the Beginning of Gay Rodeo...