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The Villa Montezuma house (left) and female impersonator and Alpine resident Julian Eltinge (right)
Wikimedia Commons and the Los Angeles Public Library, Herald-Examiner Photo Collection
Two progressive, upper-crust women who hosted a former president and first lady at their home at the edge of Balboa Park. A spiritualist who channeled famous composers and built one of the most stunning mansions in San Diego for himself and his companion. A celebrity female impersonator who’s still the talk of East County history buffs. And a La Jolla physician whose stunning secret made front-page news from coast to coast.
Meet the early LGBTQ – or at least LGBTQ-adjacent – pioneers of San Diego. They each lived here about a century ago, long before most people thought “gay” was anything other than festive. We know nothing about their intimate physical relationships, but it’s clear they lived lives that would be considered alternative in their time – and ours.
In honor of San Diego Pride this week, here’s a closer look at six LGBTQ pioneers.
Alice Lee & Katherine Teats: The Dynamo and Her Partner
Alice Lee, a second cousin of President Theodore Roosevelt’s first wife, had connections in high places. She forged friendships with the Roosevelt family, Florence Nightingale, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and President Grover Cleveland and his wife Frances. She moved west to San Diego around 1902, possibly due to her poor health. If that was the reason, she had company in the thousands of others who flocked here to soak up our supposed healing powers. One savvy promoter, the city’s official physician, claimed that ultra-fit locals had “lungs like a blacksmith’s bellows and hearts as tough as that of a turtle.”
Around 1900, Lee met a woman named Katherine Teats and spent the rest of her life with her. Teats lived a low-profile life, while Lee advocated progressive causes and joined local charity boards galore. She led the influential Save the Beaches movement to keep the coast out of private hands and founded a public forum that lasted into the 1970s.
Lee and Teats spent decades living in a home on Seventh Avenue at the northwestern edge of Balboa Park. There, they hosted Theodore Roosevelt and his second wife Edith when they visited town for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition that gave us modern Balboa Park. (There’s a brief film of Roosevelt’s visit that shows him and a lady with a rather remarkable hat.)
Were Lee and Teats a romantic couple? Teats’ grand-niece told the late local historian Sarai Johnson that family lore considered the pair to be lesbians, and a census form described Teats as Lee’s “partner.” But then, as now, we can’t make assumptions about the intimate lives of private people.
Still, it’s clear they had what was known then as a “Boston marriage” – a partnership between two wealthy women that may or may not have been physically intimate. It’s likely that “most people outside of the relationship didn’t dwell on the sexual possibilities of the relationship. They didn’t think of two women living together as pathological as they did when I was growing up in the 1950s,” said Lillian Faderman, a retired La Jolla professor who’s considered “the mother of lesbian history.” (See our 2021 Q&A with her.)
There are many other examples of female same-sex relationships. “I just find these late 19th- and early 20th-century women so awesome,” Faderman said. “They refused to confirm to what society expected. They might have been seen as somewhat odd, but not unrespectable. They managed to maintain their role in their society. They’re our foremothers.”
The Spiritualist & His Devoted ‘Secretary’: A Lofty Legacy
Jesse Shepard, a spiritualist and musician who performed for a Russian czar and a future British king, didn’t spend long in San Diego with his devoted “secretary” Lawrence W. Tonner. But the pair spent a busy and influential two years here in the late 1880s. Thanks to them, the Sherman Heights neighborhood is home to Villa Montezuma, one of the most impressive and well-preserved Victorian houses in San Diego.
Shepard came to town as a well-known spiritualist who “sometimes claimed that the spirits of famous composers or pianists performed through him,” according to a 1987 article in the Journal of San Diego History. He traveled throughout Europe, performing for famous people such as royalty and the novelist Alexander Dumas.
Spiritualism was hugely popular around the turn of the 20th century, and many celebrities like Arthur Conan Doyle embraced the idea of communicating with the dead. But Shepard abandoned spiritualism while in San Diego and turned to another focus: building Villa Montezuma. He didn’t own it for long, however: Shepard sold it in 1889, a year after the San Diego real estate market went bust.
Little is known about Tonner or their relationship, which lasted until Shepard died in 1927 while playing the piano at a recital. “Many wealthy gay men deemed their partners their chauffeur, assistant, or secretary,” Faderman said. “Jesse Shepard must have assumed he’d get away with it because of that, and I imagine straight people believed it.”
Villa Montezuma, with its grand Queen Anne gables, is now a city-owned museum.
The Female Impersonator: Building a Mystery
One of the most famous performers of the early 20th century had a surprise up her sleeve: She wasn’t what she appeared to be. The classy, graceful woman on stage was actually a man who went by the name Julian Eltinge. Audiences knew this going in, but they were still stunned.
Randy Dotinga is a freelance contributor to Voice of San Diego. Please contact him directly at [email protected]. This story was first published by Voice of San Diego. Sign up for VOSD’s newsletters here.
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SD Pride
LGBTQ+ youth in the US have had an especially rough year. State legislation restricting their right to talk openly about their identity at school has sparked national debate, increasing the pressures and hostility they often already face growing up.
The volunteers for San Diego’s annual Pride Festival have been there, and they know how tough it is. So they’re organizing the Youth Zone, a scaled-down version of the festival where middle- and high-school-age queer youth and their allies can have a social space to be themselves and connect. It’ll be open 11 a.m.–8 p.m. July 16 and 17, hosting outdoor games, dance parties in the evening, and fun and educational workshops, like How to Do Drag.
Cris Sotomayor (they/them), who oversees Pride’s youth programs, says they’ve had a great reception so far: “Young people reflect just how special it feels to have [events] created specifically for them, because they tend to be the last group included or asked about their opinion.” Both the Youth Zone and the parade’s Youth Marching Band are planned by youth volunteers, and more help is always welcome. There’s even a Children’s Garden for little ones and their parents.
Pride’s organizers often remark among themselves about how different their own teenage years could’ve been if more resources like this had been around. For Sotomayor’s part, they hope to pay it forward with the same feeling they had at their first San Diego Pride: “It was the first time I’d been in a space with a bunch of other trans, gender-nonconforming, and nonbinary people, and I was so shook. I couldn’t believe we were all there just to celebrate ourselves, not to advocate or to protest. There was something powerful about finally finding your people.”
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]]>Bivouac Ciderworks is throwing a Pride Kickoff and SheFest afterparty bonanza at their North Park tasting room on Saturday, July 9 from 6 pm – 11 pm. For $16, you get a rainbow flight of five ciders, plus attendees can expect live music, a jewelry and waist bead pop-up shop, and four-packs of their limited-release cider called “Embrace,” a 5 percent ABV sparky cherry limeade cider. A portion of proceeds from Embrace, as well as the rainbow flights, will go to San Diego Pride.
On Wednesday, July 13 in Barrio Logan, Mujeres Brew House will host a Frida Kahlo-inspired paint night to pay tribute to the queer icon. For $28, guests will get all the materials they need to make their own works of art, plus hands-on instruction from a local artist.
On Saturday, July 16, the Frida Fest will continue with a Frida-themed Market and Lotería event from 1 pm – 9 pm, with plenty of Pride cans and t-shirts available for purchase.
Other Pride items for purchase come from North Park Beer Company, whose rainbow glassware means drinking with pride all year long. It pairs best with swag from Societe Brewing Company and Thorn Brewing Company, both of which have exclusively designed rainbow t-shirts for sale at their breweries as well, with proceeds benefitting Queer San Diego and The Center.
Courtesy of North Park Beer Company
Pure Project also has a limited supply of Pride hats, proceeds of which support Brave Trails. Pure’s Balboa Park tasting room, situated just a block away from the Pride Parade route, will also open early at 10 am on Saturday, July 16 for thirsty parade spectators.
Finally, Athletic Brewing Company’s annual Rainbow Wall non-alcoholic IPA is available once more, now as a Blood Orange IPA brewed in collaboration with Alex Johnson, a professional climber and LGBTQ+ athlete ambassador for Athletic.
Full proceeds go to The OUT Foundation and Athlete Ally, which are “organizations with a mission of providing safe and inclusive spaces for members of the LGBTQIA+ community,” according to Athletic. Last year, Athletic raised $20,000 for Athlete Ally and hopes to double that in 2022. Six-packs of this limited release are available for purchase on AthleticBrewing.com.
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]]>The San Diego Foundation has established a Black Community Investment Fund in response to recent events that have highlighted systemic racism in our country. The fund, cofounded by the Central San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce, will prioritize community-led efforts that increase racial equity and economic prosperity for Black San Diegans. Grants will be focused in four key areas: housing, employment, entrepreneurship, and education, which includes a health sciences scholarship named in honor of Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county’s public health officer.
San Diego Pride has named Options for All its first Volunteer Community Partner of the Year. Options for All’s Film and Media Program helps adults with developmental disabilities develop the skills needed to work in production, and Pride’s executive director, Fernando Z. López, credits the program’s support in editing nearly 100 videos to be included in the Pride Live event.
“We’re truly honored to receive this distinguished recognition,” said Ken Barnes, CEO of Options for All. “San Diego Pride represents a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and respect for all members of our community. We share those same values, which is why we love our partnership with San Diego Pride.”
Dan Novak (left), Lucky Duck Foundation board member, and Jim Laslavic, former San Diego Charger and retired sportscaster, at LDF’s 2019 fundraiser
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]]>When: July 6, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Where: 4044 Idaho Street, North Park
Price: Free!
Honor the contributions of women at the North Park Community Park with activities, vendors and even a dog fashion show.
When: July 10, 7-8 p.m.
Where: 2728 6th Avenue, Hillcrest
Price: Free!
Join the LGBTQ community and interfaith leaders to witness the annual rainbow lighting of the St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral in Hillcrest. The event will feature performances by the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus and the San Diego Women’s Chorus.
Pride of Hillcrest Block Party
When: July 12, 2 p.m.
Where: Pride Square Plaza, Hillcrest
Price: Free! (Donations encouraged)
Enjoy Happy Hour until 7 p.m., a beer garden, drag performances, and live DJs at the donation-based Pride of Hillcrest Block Party. Dance your way into Pride weekend!
When: July 12, 6-7 p.m.
Where: 1500 University Avenue, Hillcrest
Price: Free!
Kick off San Diego Pride Weekend with the Spirit of Stonewall Rally at the Hillcrest Pride Flag. Commemorate the Stonewall riots and pay respect to those at the forefront of the pride movement in San Diego.
When: July 13, 8 a.m.
Where: University Avenue and Centre Street, University Heights
Price: $40
Start your weekend festivities early with The Front Runners & Walkers Pride 5K in University Heights—all for a good cause! Ticket proceeds go to The Center’s Youth Housing Project as well as the San Diego Pride Community Grants.
When: July 13, 10 a.m.
Where: 1500 University Avenue to Quince Drive, Hillcrest
Price: Free!
Join more than 250,000 celebrants at one of the largest pride parades in America. The San Diego Pride Parade is one-and-a-half miles of music, dancing, and a whole lot of rainbow!
When: July 13, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
July 14, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Where: Marston Point, Balboa Park
Price: $20 per one-day pass purchased online
$25 per weekend pass purchased online
$30 per weekend pass purchased day of or at festival gates
Come as you are to enjoy more than 100 entertainers, like pop artist King Princess and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge, and the dozens of vendors, exhibits, and food booths at the annual Pride Festival at Balboa Park.
Been to San Diego Pride before?
Note the new structure! This year’s layout is revamped to accommodate the increasing attendance, and the front entrance is now moving to the west side between Juniper Street and Laurel Street. Happy Pride!
Your 2019 San Diego Pride Guide
Photo courtesy of San Diego Pride
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