–by Ayli Horvath

In 2005, The Imperial Sovereign Court of Tacoma threw the Candy Cane Ball. It was a night filled with dancing and entertainment. Queens in elaborate makeup and fancy dresses ruled the night. There was a comedian, a raffle, door prizes, and an auction. The Candy Cane Ball was a benefit event for local community services. As grand as this ball sounds, it was just a window into the revelry of the Tacoma Court in the 70s and 80s.  

History  

In the 60s, queerness was not a socially welcome identity. Legislation and social attitudes harmed the LGBTQ+ community. Hate crimes ran rampant. In Seattle and in Tacoma, queer folk were being targeted, simply for who they were. While it’s not nearly as bad today, it’s still worth noting that legislation and social attitudes are still not always friendly to the LGBTQ+ community. Despite all the horrors of the world, joy is always present. To find joy in oppression is to resist. And so the Imperial Court System became a way of finding joy in resistance.  

The Imperial Court System is a society group that was started in 1965 by José Julio Sarria when he declared himself the Empress of San Francisco. The Imperial Court or San Francisco states, “this organization was designed to provide support in coping with an anti-gay polical machine operating in San Francisco at the time.” The Court of San Francisco quickly grew into many branches. In 1971, George Ray and colleagues traveled down the coast to San Francisco to request permission to start a Court in Seattle from José Julio Sarria himself. Seattle Imperial Court became the fourth national Court. The Seattle Court is currently active and has a website: https://imperialcourtofseattle.org/. It has been active for the last 54 years.  

The Tacoma Court was born in 1975. According to Craig Larson, as part of the Pierce County Gay/Lesbian Oral History Project, it all started because someone ran for empress in Seattle and lost and so they came down to Tacoma to start a court down there. Seattle was not a fan of this behavior and so they appointed Ed Ruby and Kenny Olson to rule in Tacoma instead. Tacoma’s Court was an offshoot of Seattle’s Court until the Court system created empires and Tacoma became the Diamond Cascade Empire.  

Before it was the Tacoma Imperial Court, it was the Barony of Tacoma. On November 8th 1975, the Barony titles were raised to Marquis and Marquise. Then, in 1979, the Tacoma Barony became the Imperial Sovereign Court of Tacoma in the Diamond Cascade Empire. The Court of Tacoma was a place for the LGBTQ+ community to come together socially, finding joy  in resistance. Coronations occurred every year, which consisted of: ceremonial introductions of important people, such as the College of Monarchs, the candidates for the next year’s royalty, awards, and dance breaks. Sometimes royalty from other Courts, such as the Court of Vancouver, B.C., would attend important ceremonies, like the coronation balls.  

The Imperial Sovereign Court of Tacoma – Diamond Empire of the Cascades  

The Courts were born out of a need to perform drag in a safe space. Drag is an art form involving dressing up in exaggerated displays of femininity and masculinity and generally involves performance, including music and dancing. The Court system created that space, bringing together drag queens and the broader LGBTQ+ community. Donning beautiful wigs, flawless makeup, and elaborate gowns, drag queens and friends came together to celebrate their queerness.  

In Tacoma, the local Court fostered relationships with the gay bars that went in and out of business through the 70s and 80s, such as the Polar Bear, the Flamingo Restaurant and Lounge, and, later, even Club Silverstone, which still exists today as a gay dance bar. In fact, the bar, DJ’s Tavern (known previously as The Sandbox), was where the Miss Washington title originated. Its inception was in tandem with the Mr. Washington male counterpart at the gay bar, The Handlebar, in Seattle.  

The Imperial Court of Tacoma met weekly at various bars and gathering spaces, such as Crystal Gardens. They also held events in popular town spaces, like the Tacoma Dome, the Tacoma Bicentennial Pavilion, and Elk’s Temple (before it became McMenamin’s). Today, the Imperial Court System still exists and is active in some places. In Tacoma, they have a Facebook page, and post every once in a while, keeping up with queer events in Tacoma and the greater Washington area.  

Drag and dance is such a beautiful form of art and expression. Tacoma’s own hub for drag created a much needed community to celebrate queerness in a world full of hate. Below is a collection of fun photographs from the Tacoma Historical Society’s collection of Tacoma Court coronation programs.  

About the Author

Ayli Horvath prepared this article as her final project for Musical History of Tacoma in Spring Semester 2026, taught by Kim Davenport at the University of Puget Sound. Much of her research took place in the Tacoma Historical Society archives.