1. Carmen Rupe was New Zealand's first drag queen to reach celebrity status.
14 Facts About Carmen Rupe
1. 2.
Carmen Rupe's mother was of Ngati Haua and Ngati Heke-a-Wai descent, while her father was of Ngati Maniapoto.
3.
Carmen Rupe relocated to the urban centres of Auckland and Wellington.
4.
Carmen Rupe was noted as a friend and inspirational figure to Dana de Milo, another prominent transgender activist.
5.
In 1966, Carmen Rupe was arrested while waiting for a taxi after a night out, charged by the police for 'frequenting with felonious intent' because she was wearing women's clothing.
6.
In Wellington Carmen Rupe ran Carmen Rupe's International Coffee Lounge and the Balcony strip club.
7.
Carmen Rupe was not afraid to speak to the press and was summoned to appear before the Privileges Committee by Prime Minister Robert Muldoon for suggesting some MPs were gay or bisexual.
8.
Carmen Rupe returned to Surry Hills, Sydney where she lived the remainder of her life.
9.
Carmen Rupe was a prominent member of Agender, the New Zealand transgender group.
10.
Carmen Rupe died of kidney failure in St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, on 15 December 2011, after a fall and hip surgery earlier in the year; she was 75.
11.
Carmen Rupe has been cited as a role model by MP Georgina Beyer, the world's first openly transgender Member of Parliament.
12.
Carmen Rupe was an icon for Sydney's Transgender community and a tireless advocate for GLBT rights.
13.
Carmen Rupe was a quiet achiever who spent decades as a volunteer with many organisations who provided support to some of our cities most vulnerable people.
14.
The short film was a prequel to the feature film The Book of Carmen Rupe, which is currently in pre-production.