About

Venus Pellagatti Xtravaganza was an American transgender woman and performer associated with New York City's ball culture scene. She came to national attention after her posthumous appearance in the 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning, directed by Jennie Livingston, in which her life as a member of the House of Xtravaganza formed one of the film's central storylines. Her visibility and unsolved murder have since made her an enduring figure in LGBTQ cultural history.