Who Killed Venus Xtravaganza?
On Christmas Day 1988, the body of 23-year-old Venus Xtravaganza was discovered hidden beneath a bed in a New York City hotel room. She had been strangled days earlierâand over three decades later, her killer has never been found.Venus was a transgender performer and a rising star in the ballroom scene, immortalized in the landmark documentary Paris Is Burning. But behind her dazzling stage presence was a young woman living on the margins, navigating a world that often refused to see her humanity.In this episode, we trace Venusâs lifeâfrom her New Jersey childhood to the catwalks of underground ballsâand unpack the police indifference, media silence, and societal stigma that followed her death. We explore how Venus became a symbol of both beauty and tragedy, and what her unsolved murder reveals about violence, visibility, and the cost of being yourself in a world that punishes difference.Who killed Venus Xtravaganzaâand why has justice still not been served?
Episode Details
About This Episode
On Christmas Day 1988, the body of 23-year-old Venus Xtravaganza was discovered hidden beneath a bed in a New York City hotel room. She had been strangled days earlierâand over three decades later, her killer has never been found.Venus was a transgender performer and a rising star in the ballroom scene, immortalized in the landmark documentary Paris Is Burning. But behind her dazzling stage presence was a young woman living on the margins, navigating a world that often refused to see her humanit...