Out at the Archives Celebrates the Imperial Court

On Thursday May 4 at 7 p.m., as part of their popular Out at the Archives series, Lambda Archives will present a panel discussion featuring members of one of the oldest and largest LGBTQ institutions in San Diego-or the world-the Imperial Court.

The international Imperial Court system recently celebrated its 50th anniversary and has dozens of chapters throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico; one of the oldest chapters is in San Diego. Local celebrity and Queen Mother I of the Americas, Nicole MurRay Ramirez, who reigns as Empress Nicole the Great, will moderate the panel. Others scheduled to appear on the panel include Empress XXV Roxie Bleu, Crown Princess for Life Julie Hoffman, President Board of Directors and Emperor XLIII Michael Lochner, as well as other members of the Imperial Court de San Diego.

Over the last 45 years, the court in San Diego has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for many local charities. Numerous local LGBTQ activists and prominent community members have served as monarchs over the years.

Lambda Archives manager and Out at the Archives coordinator, Walter Meyer, said, "We are excited to honor the court and their good works with this installment of Out at the Archives. The court has been a huge supporter of the Archives and we are pleased to help the community learn more about this long-running and important institution."
This Out at the Archives event will take place at Rich's nightclub, 1051 University Ave. in Hillcrest. Doors--and the bar--open at 6 and the presentation begins at 7. Thanks to Rich's, a portion of all bar revenues will be donated to Lambda Archives to support their ongoing mission to collect, preserve and teach the history of the LGBTQ community in San Diego and Imperial Counties and Northern Baja California. The employees, board of directors, and volunteers of Lambda Archives seek to empower LGBTQ persons and allies by increasing access to, and knowledge of, LGBTQ history.

Seating for this event is limited, but attendees can guarantee themselves seats by getting tickets at lambda-archives.ticketleap.com. Tickets are $5 for Lambda Archives members and $10 for non-members, but thanks to the generosity of Robert Hubbard of MassMutual Financial Group no one will be turned away due to an inability to pay.

Members of the Imperial Court created a companion exhibit at Lambda Archives, 4545 Park Blvd., that will remain up through June 3. Tours of the Archives and the exhibit are free. Visit LambdaArchives.org or call 619-260-1522 for hours.

This year's full slate of Out at the Archives events is sponsored by Robert Hubbard of MassMutual, who is dedicated to strengthening financial literacy in the LGBTQ community. Hubbard is available at 858-202-2383 or RobertHubbard@financialguide.com to answer any financial planning questions. Hubbard said, "MassMutual continues to demonstrate our long-standing commitment to the LGBT community by supporting important local and national organizations and legislation to improve LGBT equality, as well as inclusive employee programs and business practices."

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