Openhouse Mourns the Passing of an Icon

Felicia Elizondo, also known as Felicia Flames, a renowned drag performer since the 1960s and early defender of transgender rights, passed away Saturday, May 15, at the Veterans Administration hospice in San Francisco, following an extended illness. She was 74.

A Vietnam veteran, Felicia was one of the brightest stars in the drag and transgender community of San Francisco, performing up until the time of her illness. A longtime activist for LGBTQ+ rights, she was a founding force in renaming the 100 block of Taylor Street Compton’s Cafeteria Way, the site of a pre-Stonewall riot with police over brutality against drag queens and transgender women.

A long-term survivor of HIV, Felicia worked with P.A.W.S., the Shanti Project, and San Francisco AIDS Foundation to improve the quality of life for all people with serious illnesses. She also served on the steering committee of Openhouse’s Living Tribute to HIV Long-term Survivors, the centerpiece of our new community center. An Openhouse champion from the beginning, Felicia was instrumental in rallying support of the transgender community for the building of San Francisco’s first LGBT-welcoming affordable housing for seniors at 55 Laguna Street.

We have lost an icon, one of the brightest lights and legends in LGBTQ history, and feel diminished by her passing. Our hearts are with her family and friends, as we share their sorrow and the community’s love for the eternal Flame that is Felicia.