Meet Tranqueray of HONY: The Internet Gave Her $2.5 Million+ In Donations

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Tranqueray of Humans of New York (HONY). Photo by Humans of New York

Have you heard of Tranqueray? Or maybe you know Stephane Johnson, the 76 year old star of Humans of New York (HONY). She returned this week and tickled fans’ fancy with tantalizing tales of life as it was for her in the 60’s and 70’s New York. And the internet, no, Humans of New York, led by the nicest man on the internet Brandon Stanton, paid her over $2.5 million for it. Talk about the power of storytelling and Humans banding together!

But let me start form the beginning…

In November last year, Tranqueray, adorned in the most elegant faux mink coat you ever saw, which she hand-made herself, standing regal and proud, eyes piercingly beautiful, looking straight at the camera and almost daring fans to say something, made the internet fall in love. She regaled the millions of fans on Humans of New York with her no-filter recollections of her days as a burlesque dancer in the 1960’s and 1970’s New York. She told juicy details and brought receipts! There were mobsters, porn stars, thieves, the finest madame in New York and the one man she loved. She told of her childhood of emotional and physical abuse by a black mother who eventually had her imprisoned.

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Everyone loved her; twitter, facebook, instagram, tumblr. And why not? Who doesn’t love a good story? Actress Jennifer Garnet commented: “Why is this not a @netflix series?”

And then Tranqueray went quiet.

I must tell you the curious cat in me itched for more. And I may have commented here and there asking where she was, or more appropriately, where the rest of her stories were. For almost a year there was nothing. Then just a week ago, Brandon Stanton, creator of Humans of New York announced he was bringing her back for a purpose! He said:

“…it’s the most ambitious storytelling I’ve ever attempted on the blog. It will unfold over the course of 32 posts. But if there’s anyone who can hold an audience for an entire week—it’s Tanqueray. As her story is shared, we will be raising money to ensure that Stephanie can live the rest of her life in comfort and dignity. Stephanie has a lot of urgent needs, so her care will be expensive. But her story is priceless. If the series adds any value to your life over the next seven days, please consider making a contribution to our fundraiser…”

Stephanie Johnson Humans of New York — Tranqueray (Stephanie Johnson). Photo by Humans of New York

And a story telling it was! I love me some Tranqueray!

The details got juicier. Names were named, pictures presented, dates and places were mentioned. She spoke fondly and sometimes sadly about her Carmine, the love of her life, a white Italian boy who needed to keep her a secret from his family. She let it be known she hated the mother who didn’t know or care how to love her. Her honesty is brutal, no-holds-barred! But really when you’re 76, you say whatever you want, no? She told whatever she wanted to tell and more. Of her encounter with Dennis of The Temptations fame she recollects:

“…The way I saw it: it wasn’t my fame. And it wasn’t my money. So why would I care? We made a plan to meet at BB Kings—the original location in the basement of the Americana Hotel. All of The Temptations were there, but I got paired off with Dennis—who happened to be the finest of them all. We had the best table in the house. And I could tell that Dennis was into me. We were flirting and laughing…
…I knew what he was expecting to happen, but I don’t do one-night stands. So I’m giving him nothing back. After twenty minutes he got tired of trying, so he gets up and disappears into his bedroom. I thought he’d gone to sleep. But ten minutes later he walks back in, and he’s wearing nothing but a leopard silk bathrobe. It was tied so loose that he was just swinging in the breeze. And I mean swinging low. Like you wouldn’t believe. Nice to look at – but no thank you. I had a shift at the factory early the next morning, so I looked at my watch and said: ‘I gotta get out of here.’ On the way out I could hear all the other Temps laughing. It was probably the only time that man had ever gotten turned down…”

The day came when Tranqueray met Alfred Bloomingdale courtesy of Madame Blanche

“Madame Blanche controlled the high-end prostitution in the city. All the powerful men came to her because they knew she wouldn’t talk… All I had to do was go to his hotel room and pretend to be a maid. She promised me that I wouldn’t even have to take off my clothes. And the pay was $300– so I agreed. Bloomingdale was set up in a permanent suite at a fancy hotel off Park Avenue…and I was saying dumb stuff like: ‘Yessuh, Mr. Bloomingdale. Oh Yes, Mr. Bloomingdale.
I didn’t care. I was getting $300. But when that time came, he didn’t grab a necktie. He grabbed a leather belt. And that wasn’t in the agreement. So I grabbed my coat and got the fuck out of there. Thankfully I got my money up front.”

Humans Rose Up To The Occasion and Showed Humanity

Tranqueray got paid for her story! Her fundraiser, aptly named Tattle Tales of Tranqueray surpassed $2.6M as at end of October. It is amazing to see people, from all walks of life, send love, express empathy, just kick back and enjoy a story, no judgements just love and appreciation for a woman who decided to tell her truth, wrapped in tantalizing tales that makes one feel they are in 1960’s New York, dancing, dating, looking for happiness and just beating the odds!

And now she has a book, detailing her full life story, you may find it here.

Support Brandon!

Brandon whom I think of as the nicest man on the internet, does good work. He brings a voice to many voiceless people and, brings stories and cultural enlightenment to the rest of us. He tells the stories of incredible people he travels around the world to meet, photograph and talk to in his book series.