Octavia St. Laurent

She was born in Brooklyn, New York on March 16, 1964 and became a famous AIDS educator, model, and actress. Laurent was known for her roles in the films The Saint of Fort Washington, Paris Is Burning, and Octavia Saint Laurent: Queen of the Underground. Here’s an interesting trivia from IMDB: did you know that she legally changed her name to Heavenly Angel Octavia Saint Laurent Manolo Blahnik before Octavia Saint Laurent Mizrahiwith the help of her lawyers? Yes, her name was that long.

Aside from acting and modeling, she was popular in the Black and Latino drag society in New York City. She liked to walk to the song of Diana Ross, Swept Away.She gained more fame when she was featured in the documentary Paris is Burning. St. Laurent’s appearance in it was cited in Judith Butler’s book Bodies That Matter in Gender is Burning. She would challenge norms with her answers about her sexuality. She died on May 17, 2009, and left a legacy that is felt to this day.