Lily White & Company
Revisited
By Jack Radcliffe- It was the late '80's and news of gay men dying from strange illnesses was suddenly something, not on the national, but rather on the local pages. There were no agencies or organizations to assist these friends that were getting sick just a very new, fledgling group that was trying to do whatever was necessary to help. Several of us had been developing a new, more theatrical form of drag entertainment that was slowly catching on in the area so we decided to put our talents to a purpose; do performances to raise money to help. That was the Raison d'etre of Lily White and Company, a group of anywhere from twelve to eighteen people who for the next decade produced gender bending theatricals that made people laugh in a very dark time and made people give to ease the needs of others who didn't have much to laugh about. These photographs chronicle those performers, many of whom themselves, are gone now. Those of us still around, fondly remember the time as an era of caring, of giving and of selfless concern for others on the part of so many men and women, LGBT and allies, in our community.
By Paul Foltz, Founder and Director of Lily White & Company
