"Frieda, Ninth Empress of San Francisco's Imperial Court

"Frieda, Ninth Empress of San Francisco's Imperial Court" at the Streetwalkers and Hookers Ball, ca. 1976; photograph by Roz Joseph, Roz Joseph Photographs (2010-08), GLBT Historical Society.

“Pay homage or be expelled” was her motto, and it prevailed not only during her reign but long afterward. Born near Newark, NJ in 1927, Fred Hilliard “Frieda” was a nurse in San Francisco and active in the Tavern Guild. Elected the Ninth Empress of San Francisco in 1974, she “had very strong opinions and was not easily swayed,” according to the Bay Area Reporter.