Felicia Elizondo

Felicia Elizondo (July 23, 1946 – May 15, 2021) was an American transgender woman with a long history of activism on behalf of the LGBT community. She was a regular at Gene Compton's Cafeteria in San Francisco during the time of the Compton's Cafeteria riot, a historic LGBT community uprising.

Early life Assigned male at birth in San Angelo, Texas, Elizondo struggled with bullying, molestation, and gender identity issues. Her father, a sheepherder, died when she was three years old.

At age 18, Elizondo joined the U.S. Navy and volunteered to serve in the Vietnam War, thinking she would either get killed or come to terms with her gender identity: "If the military doesn't make me a man, nothing will."

Elizondo transitioned to female in 1974, while working as a long-distance operator. She performed as a drag queen for charity, and at gay clubs under the name Felicia Flames.

Elizondo was diagnosed as HIV positive in 1987.

Elizondo moved to San Francisco permanently in 1991. In 2016, she again worked with Kim to rename the 100 block of Taylor Street to Gene Compton's Cafeteria Way. Elizondo appeared at a number of events in 2016 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Compton's Cafeteria riot.

Elizondo served as the lifetime achievement grand marshal in the 2015 San Francisco Pride Parade.