Judy Bowenwiener

Judy Bowenwiener, also known as Judy Bowen, is an American transgender rights activist. She was active in the LGBTQ scene in Greenwich Village and marched with the Gay Activists Alliance in the Christopher Street Liberation Day March. She published a weekly newspaper called The Western Queens Gazette.

Activism

Bowenwiener moved from Tennessee to New York City in the 1960s and became active in the Greenwich Village LGBTQ scene.[1][2] She lived on Christopher Street in the West Village.[1] She marched with the Gay Activists Alliance in the Christopher Street Liberation Day March.[3] During this time, she met with influential LGBTQ figures including Andy Warhol, Candy Darling, Sylvia Rivera, and Marsha P. Johnson.[1] In 1970, she founded Transvestites and Transsexuals, which was later renamed Transexuals Anonymous, in New York City.[1] She also founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR).[4] Both of these organizations provided support for transgender residents of New York City, including safe spaces for discussion, community, and connection.[1]

She was arrested at a Long Island gay club; it resulted in bruises which lasted three months.[5] The people she had been staying with told her she was no longer allowed to stay with them.[6]

In 1999, she moved to Las Vegas, where she became ab active member of the LGBTQ+ Center of Southern Nevada and pushed for the creation of the Safety Dorm for unhoused transgender people at The Salvation Army.[1] She is a part of Trans United, an international group that works to increase communication among transgender individuals and organizations.[1]

She was a recipient of the Las Vegas 2023 Trans Icon Award, the 2024 Miss International Queen USA Guiding Light Award.[1]

Personal life

Bowenweiner received a scholarship to study journalism at the University of Tennessee, where she became involved in the civil rights movement.[4] She is a Christian.[4] She initially worked in clubs owned by the mafia, but at the advice of a friend who was an attorney, sought other business opportunities. She decided to purchase a bakery, which she would later sell for $1 million.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Judy Bowenwiener: The Transgender Activist Who Inspired The Stonewall Generations Study". San Francisco Bay Times. San Francisco, California. May 23, 2025. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  2. ^ Saha, Victoria (June 26, 2025). "Conversations of the past: Las Vegas woman reflects on Stonewall riots as anniversary nears". Fox 5 Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  3. ^ "A Documentary about the Past, Present and Future of Pride". Stonewall Forever. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Keehnen, Owen (November 30, 2016). "Trans pioneer Judy Bowen looks back at community changes". Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  5. ^ Villarreal, Daniel (December 2, 2018). "This trans activist recently shared her memories of the Stonewall uprising and early life in NYC". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Drucker, Zackary (November 29, 2018). "Transgender Activist Judy Bowen Recalls the Stonewall Riots". VICE. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
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