meet the ultimate ‘human from new york’, former stripper tanqueray

Every now and then, Humans of New York produces a story that moves us with its humanity. One such story is that of a former stripper, Tanqueray. If you’re not familiar, Humans of New York is an ongoing portrait series by photographer Brandon Stanton and he’s been working on it for nearly a decade. Posting the project on Facebook and Instagram, some stories are filled with humor while others are gut-wrenching. But few stories are as captivating as this one.

Kicked out of her home by her mother after becoming pregnant at 17 years old, Tanqueray rose from the ashes and went on to study fashion at FIT. She would later make costumes for strippers and porn stars. A regular in NYC’s drag scene, she hung out with the most fashionable gays and queens in all of New York. Back in the seventies, she was the only Black dancer making “white girl money.” She danced in clubs frequented by so many mobsters that she started learning Italian. She fed cherries she pulled from her g-string to paying customers. She was a badass and you wish you were that cool.

Naturally, the internet has fallen in love with Tanqueray, with famous faces like Jennifer Garner asking when Netflix is going to do a movie about her incredible life. Following the popularity of his original post, Stanton has added two more photographs (with accompanying stories from Tanqueray), check ‘em out, below.