Hello, there.

The Emperor Norton Trust is delighted to announce that the Board of Directors of The Imperial Council of San Francisco has issued the first institutional statement in support of the Trust's proposal that the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge tunnel through Yerba Buena Island, S.F., be named the

EMPEROR NORTON TUNNEL

You can read the statement here.

The Imperial Council and the larger international Imperial Court was founded by José Sarria (1922–2013), the first openly gay person to run for elected office in the United States — in 1961.

Subsequently, José styled himself as "the Widow Norton" and secured a burial plot adjacent to the Emperor Norton in Woodlawn cemetery, Colma, Calif.

José Sarria's grave has become its own pilgrimage site — uniting the legacies of José and the Emperor.

Today, the Imperial Council is a lead actor in LGBTQ-focused philanthropic, community, and civic engagement.

The Emperor Norton Trust is honored by the Imperial Council's support and looks forward to working with the Council to make the Emperor Norton Tunnel a reality.

JOHN LUMEA
The Emperor Norton Trust