Panzi

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Panzi

Thom Hansen (also known as Panzi) - American gay activist.

Educated at Pace University where he studied as an Business and Accounting Major; thereafter he began working as a financial analyst, a business manager in the textile industry and an actor. He went on to establish his own real estate management firm and then became a Vice President of the International Division of a major direct marketing firm.

Panzi joined the Imperial Court of New York in 1993 and was elected to serve as its Empress XII "The Empress of Loyalty and Laughter" between 1998-99 and President of the Board of Directors from 2003-2006.

Image:ThomHansen.jpg

Thom Hansen

Panzi also serves as the Executive Secretary on the International Court Council, which oversees over 70 local Imperial Courts in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

[edit] Invasion of the Pines

In 1976, Panzi was elected by the Arts Project of Cherry Grove as the First Homecoming Queen of Cherry Grove and regularly appeared and promoted the community's arts project's activities. 1976 was also the year that the now annual the Invasion of the Pines began when a visitor in drag was denied entry to a restaurant in the Fire Island Pines, which is an oceanfront island community east of New York City. When a group of his friends, including Panzi, from Cherry Grove heard what had happened, they too dressed up in drag and returned to the Pines by water taxi on July 4, 1976, staging what would become the first annual drag "invasion."

Panzi now organizes and emcees the annual festival that has become the Invasion of the Pines.