TWICE THE PRIDE 🏳️‍🌈 🇨🇴: Ep 3 - JOSÉ JULIO SARRIA. Most people have never heard of José Sarria. But long before Pride parades, LGBTQ+ elected officials, or rainbow logos, José was already making history. Born in San Francisco to a Colombian mother, José served in the U.S. Army during World War II before becoming a performer, activist, and community leader. Then, in 1961, he did something almost unimaginable for the time: he ran for public office. At a time when being openly gay could cost you your job, your housing, your reputation, or even lead to arrest, José became the first openly gay person known to run for public office in the United States. He didn’t win the election, but that wasn’t the point. His campaign encouraged LGBTQ+ people to stop hiding and start seeing themselves as a community with a voice, a vote, and a place in public life. José would later found what became the Imperial Court System, one of the world’s largest LGBTQ+ charitable organizations. What began as a ...