Barbara Gittings- - barbara gittings
Barbara Gittings
(1932-2007)
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Barbara Gittings
(1932-2007)
Barbara Gittings was a prominent American LGBT+ activist and was involved in promoting positive literature about homosexuality in libraries. She was part of the movement to get the American Psychiatric Association to drop homosexuality as a mental illness in 1972. She met her lifelong partner Kay Tobin in 1961 and were together for 46 years. She died on February 18 in 2007 after a long battle with breast cancer.
Billie Jean King- - billie_jean_king_by_gage_skidmore
Billie Jean King
Born November 22, 1943
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Billie Jean King
Born November 22, 1943
Billie Jean King is one of the most famous names in professional tennis. She earned 39 Grand Slam titles from 1966 to 1975. She also beat Bobby Riggs in the famous "Battle of the Sexes" match. But in 1981, King was outed as a lesbian, and her publicists told her to deny the claim. Instead, she confirmed that she was a lesbian and became the first openly gay athlete.
Photo by Gage Skidmore
Harvey Milk- - harvey_milk_in_gay_freedom_day_parade
Harvey Milk
May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978
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Harvey Milk
May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978
Harvey Milk was the first openly gay elected politician in the history of California. On November 27, 1978, Milk and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated by Dan White, who was another city supervisor. Milk was 48 at the time of his death. Milk was later heralded as "the most famous and most significantly open LGBT official ever elected in the United States". Milk became an icon in San Francisco and known as a martyr in the gay community. If you would like to learn more about his life, we suggest watching the biopic Milk (2008), winner of Best Original Screenplay at the 2009 Academy Awards.
Photo by Ted Sahl
Marsha P Johnson- - marsha p johnson
Marsha P Johnson
1945-1992
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Marsha P Johnson
1945-1992
Marsha P Johnson was a gay liberation activist and an African-American transgender woman. Marsha was an advocate for LGBT rights an is most known for her participation in the Stonewall uprising in 1969. She co-founded the gay and transvestite advocacy organization S.T.A.R. (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries), alongside close friend Sylvia Rivera. Shortly after the 1992 pride parade, Johnson's body was discovered floating in the Hudson River. Police initially ruled the death a suicide, but friends were adamant that she did not have suicidal thoughts, and it was widely believed she was the victim of a transphobic attack. In 2012, New York police reopened the investigation into her death as a possible homicide, before eventually reclassifying her cause of death from 'suicide' to 'undetermined'. Her ashes were released over the Hudson River by her friends following a funeral at a local church.
Photo by Diana Davies
Michaela Jaé Rodriguez- - mj rodriguez
Michaela Jaé Rodriguez
Born January 7, 1991
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Michaela Jaé Rodriguez
Born January 7, 1991
First transgender person to win a Golden Globe. Won for best actress in POSE, a show honoring and representing the trans community through ballroom culture during the AIDS pandemic.
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RuPaul Charles- - rupaul_by_david_shankbone
RuPaul Charles
Born November 17, 1960
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RuPaul Charles
Born November 17, 1960
RuPaul got his start in the '90s in the music industry, releasing his hit single "Supermodel (You Better Work)." At the same time, he appeared in a number of films as his drag persona, including "Crooklyn," "The Brady Bunch Movie," and "Blue in the Face." In 2009, he started a drag queen competition show titled "RuPaul's Drag Race," and it quickly became a hit among the LGBTQ community. Throughout the years, the series gained momentum and has become a major hit for mainstream audiences.
Photo by David Shankbone
