The idea for STORMÉ was sparked by a photo essay written by Carolyn M. Brown thanking Stormé for throwing the first punch at Stonewall, which accompanied a mural of Stormé DeLaverie by artist Rachel Wilkins for her “Shoulders of Giants” exhibit of LGBTQ+ movement trailblazers. A fire blazed in the playwright to tell Stormé’s story after historical content came under attack and
threat of being banned.

In 2022, some 37 U.S. states introduced 137 bills to limit what schools can teach about American history, race, politics, sexual orientation, and gender identity, which is a 250% increase from 2021, reports PEN America. Over 1,800 books with LGBTQ+ content were banned in 5,000 plus schools during 2022.