Veronica Vera

Veronica Vera
Born
United States
Occupations
  • Writer
  • actress
  • instructor
Spouse
Stuart Cottingham
​
​
(m. 2012; died 2019)​
Websiteveronicaverawrites.com

Veronica Vera is an American human sexuality writer and actress. She founded the cross-dressing school Miss Vera's Finishing School for Boys Who Want to be Girls in New York City in 1992. She co-founded the first porn star support group, Club 90.

Career

Vera is a former Wall Street trader and a doctor of human sexuality.

Acting and modeling

Vera appeared in such films as Times Square Comes Alive and modeled in an erotic photography session for Robert Mapplethorpe in 1982.

Writing

Vera wrote a monthly article in Adam magazine called "Veronica Vera's New York" that ran from 1983 to 1995. Her book Miss Vera's Finishing School for Boys Who Want to Be Girls was published by Doubleday in 1997. She has published two follow-up books: Miss Vera's Cross-Dress For Success and Miss Vera's Cross Gender Fun For All.

Activism

Vera's activist work includes a testimony she gave in 1983 that became part of the Meese Report. In 1983, she co-founded the first porn star support group, Club 90.

Miss Vera's Finishing School For Boys Who Want to be Girls

Miss Vera's Finishing School For Boys Who Want to be Girls
TypePrivate
IndustryCourses on cross-dressing
Founded(1992 (1992), New York City, New York, United States
FounderVeronica Vera
Headquarters
New York City, New York
,
United States
Websitemissvera.com

Vera founded Miss Vera's Finishing School For Boys Who Want to be Girls, a business in New York City that provides instruction in cross-dressing, in 1992. One of the school's most popular topics of instruction is walking in high-heeled shoes. In 2008, Vera said more than 5,000 people, including many women, had enrolled in this class in the previous 12 years.

Personal life

Vera is a native of Linden, New Jersey. She married artist Stuart Cottingham in 2012.

References

  1. ↑ "Veronica Vera Filmography". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2014. Archived from the original on February 27, 2014.
  2. 1 2 Oksman, Olga (June 17, 2016). "'Drag Is Great, But This Is Beyond Drag': inside Miss Vera's crossdressing school". The Guardian.
  3. 1 2 3 Lieberman, Hallie (September 30, 2023). "Club 90: The Secret Women's Club That Rocked the Porn World". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on April 23, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Schuessler, Jennifer (March 11, 2024). "The Woman Who Tried to Make Porn Safe for Feminism". The New York Times. ISSN 1553-8095. ProQuest 2954784111.
  5. ↑ Kramer Bussel, Rachel (July 27, 2007). "Pump It Up". Time Out New York. Retrieved January 7, 2011.
  6. 1 2 "Veronica Vera". HuffPost.
  7. ↑ "Times Square Comes Alive". AVN. July 1, 1987.
  8. ↑ Baum, Geraldine (December 23, 1993). "At Miss Vera's, the Mirror Reveals a Changed Man". Los Angeles Times. p. E1. ISSN 0458-3035. ProQuest 282111176. Retrieved January 7, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Robert Mapplethorpe (1946–1989) | Marty and Veronica, 1982". Live Auction 2304: Photographs. Christie's. April 15, 2010.
  10. ↑ Tabor, Mary B. W. (October 11, 1995). "Book Notes". The New York Times. p. C21. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 430369728.
  11. ↑ "Transform Yourself With Veronica Vera". South Florida Gay News. February 6, 2010. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021.
  12. ↑ Vera, Veronica (n.d.). "Miss Vera's Cross-Dress for Success". Miss Vera's Finishing School for Boys Who Want to be Girls.
  13. ↑ Vera, Veronica (n.d.). "Miss Vera's Cross Gender Fun For All". Miss Vera's Finishing School for Boys Who Want to be Girls.
  14. ↑ Brunnick, Michelle (July 29, 2016). "Veronica Vera and Robert Mapplethorpe, Pioneering Transgender New York". The Iris. J. Paul Getty Museum. Archived from the original on July 8, 2025.  This article incorporates text from this source, which is available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  15. ↑ Wissot, Lauren (February 24, 2015). "Annie Sprinkle on Reuniting with Golden Era Porn Legends for CineKink's 'A Tribute to Club 90'". Filmmaker. ISSN 1063-8954. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
  16. 1 2 Richardson, Clem (November 16, 2008). "Mary Veronica's Miss Vera's School for Boys Who Want to Be Girls is in Session". Daily News. New York. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  17. ↑ Bussel, Rachel Kramer (June 14, 2012). "The Golden Girls of Porn: A Panel Discussion at the Museum of Sex". The New York Observer. Retrieved September 20, 2025.