ELOISE HARRIS, JAYNE ANNE HARRIS, MARY LOU HARRIS

ANGELS OF LIGHT

In 1972, 11-year-old Mary Lou, 13-year-old Eloise, and 17-year-old Jayne Harris joined their brother Hibiscus—founder of the legendary San Francisco troupe the Cockettes—as he returned to New York to form a new incarnation of the Angels of Light. The Angels of Light, now featuring Hibiscus's family, brought glitter, music, drag, and radical liberation to the Off Broadway world. Operating distinctly from the original West Coast group, the Angels and the Harris sisters performed throughout the United States and Europe. Their formative years were marked by a perfect blend of glamour and magic as they brought the underground to the stage. The East Coast Angels of Light were active until 1979. Hibiscus died of AIDS in 1982.

https://youtu.be/MtIyfJVwp4g

Related Stories

• San Francisco Angels of Light Oral History Featuring Beaver Bauer, Gregory Cruikshank, Tahara

• Gay Liberation in 1966 with Lee Lawson and Society Advocating Mutual Equality Oral History

• Gay Liberation in Oregon: Ashland's Women Center and the Gay Student's Union with Amy Horowitz Oral History

• Bambi Lake Dancing with The Cockettes and Angels of Light Oral History

• Bambi Lake Obituary

About The LGBTQ History Project

The LGBTQ History Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit preserving the lives and legacies of LGBTQ+ activists from the first wave of gay liberation through oral histories, archives and the QueerCore Podcast.