Nancy Valverde, a beloved Mexican-American lesbian activist and community figure on the Eastside, has died. Valverde’s family said she passed away on Monday at the age of 92, according to ABC7.
Born in New Mexico in 1932, Valverde grew up in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles and spent most of her life advocating for the LGBTQ+ community. She was affectionately known as “Nancy from Eastside Clover,” a nickname derived from her time living on Clover Street in Lincoln Heights.
Valverde’s activism began as early as the age of 17 when she was arrested for violating “anti-masquerading” laws because she wore clothing that was at the time traditionally worn by men.
In an interview with the Los Angeles LGBT Center, Valverde detailed how law enforcement treated her while she was incarcerated. “I’m sitting there in the cell and I go ‘This doesn’t look good to me.’ There was a wooden bench and I sat on it and I started banging on it. The cops started throwing cold buckets of water on me, and I wouldn’t stop,” Valverde said.
Valverde’s gender non-conforming fashion helped her feel comfortable, but repeatedly landed her in the Lincoln Heights jail. She decided to take action.
As local historian Shmuel Gonzalez tells it, Valverde went to the Los Angeles County Law Library to conduct research that would help her case. She found 1950 court rulings that determined women dressing in men’s clothes wasn’t a crime.
“She informed her lawyer and was able to use this in her defense. And so eventually the police stopped arresting her,” Gonzalez wrote.
Later on, Valverde got her barber’s license and opened Nancy’s Barber Shop, she told ABC7 in a 2023 interview. The shop served as a safe queer space at a time when Los Angeles had laws banning same-sex relationships. Valverde created a friendly environment not just for others, but for herself as well.
“Even the gay community didn’t want me around, they said I was too out,” Valverde told the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
Valverde was active in downtown L.A.’s queer scene, known as the “The Run,” and she frequented spots like the original Cooper Do-Nuts location on Main Street.
Last summer, the city of L.A. honored Valverde by naming the intersection of Main and 2 Streets as “Cooper Do-nuts/ Nancy Valverde Square.” At the unveiling ceremony, LAPD Commander Ruby Flores issued an apology to Valverde on behalf of the department.
The Latino Equality Alliance, in a statement, said Valverde’s story “is inspiring to many.”
“She made queer history as a Chicana in Los Angeles who relentlessly stayed true to her identity and self-expression in the face of countless challenges,” the Latino Equality Alliance said.