Film Screening + Q&A of "I'm Your Venus"

The Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy (JCLC) kicks off Jersey City Pride with a screening of I’M YOUR VENUS at Art House, followed by a filmmaker and Venus’ family panel discussion/Q&A.

Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Special thanks to our Jersey City Pride month programming sponsor, MMD Shops!

The JCLC will donate 50% of the ticket proceeds to the Venus Pellagatti Xtravaganza House through Garden State Equality.

Venus Pellagatti Xtravaganza was a Jersey City-born transgender activist, a trailblazing figure in the 1980s ballroom scene and member of the House of Xtravaganza. Venus shares her experiences and dreams in Paris Is Burning, the groundbreaking 1990 documentary that includes scenes filmed at her home in Jersey City. Venus was murdered in 1988. Her case was closed and her killer unidentified.

 The 2024 documentary, I’M YOUR VENUS captures the journey as Venus' chosen and blood families seek answers from authorities and each other, a path that reopens wounds and builds bonds while driving awareness of her legacy.

Venus’ families pursued landmarking her home, a safe space created by her grandmother. In 2023 her home at 343 ½ 8^th Street in Jersey City became the first LGBTQIA+ designated historic site in New Jersey, one of the first in the US recognizing transgender history and the first Ballroom-related site in the US to receive this distinction.

Historic preservation dives deeper than protecting façades - it’s also a visual aid that brings context to telling history. Venus’ home is now an official marker to her legacy and conduit to black, brown, LatinX, and LGBTQIA-related history.

The Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy was supportive of this milestone effort. We recognized the Family and Friends of Venus Pellagatti Xtravaganza with our 2024 Preservation Initiative Award for landmarking Venus’ home. Her story vogues on!

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Parking Options:
Street parking where available.
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Public Transportation:
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