#StonewallUprising (June 28, 1969 – July 3, 1969): Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, gay bars were consistently busted by police. It was illegal in many place for gay bars to exist, and when the police would raid a bar the lives of #LGBTQ people were put on the line. Oftentimes their names would be publishedContinue reading “Stonewall Uprising”
Category Archives: People of History
Compton’s Cafeteria Riot
#ComptonsCafeteriaRiots (August 1966): In #SanFrancisco, #GeneComptonsCafeteria was an all-hours restaurant where #transgender people in the 1950s and 1960s would meet and congregate because they were unwelcome in gay bars owing to transphobia. Many times, in an effort to deter trans patrons, the owners would call the police and have trans patrons arrested for “female impersonation,”Continue reading “Compton’s Cafeteria Riot”
Larry Kramer
#LarryKramer (June 25, 1935 – May 27, 2020): The #LGBTQIA community owes a lot to its heroes, and gay men specifically have Kramer to thank for much of the activism of the past 40 years. First and foremost, he was a writer before he became a well-known activist, something that drew him criticism with someContinue reading “Larry Kramer”
James Baldwin
#JamesBaldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987): His voice is on the tongues of many #BLM protesters, even if they are not 100% aware that they are quoting his work. Born and raised in Harlem, Baldwin there began writing not only about the experiences of Black people in America but also what the experience was forContinue reading “James Baldwin”
Felice Rahel Schragenheim
#FeliceRahelSchragenheim (March 9, 1922 – December 31, 1944): Born in Berlin in 1922, Schragenheim joined the #Resistance against the Nazis in the late 1930s-early 1940s. She became employed as a house keeper for a Nazi soldier in the 1940s and continued working with the Resistance. It was here, while her employer was away at war,Continue reading “Felice Rahel Schragenheim”
Bayard Rustin
#BayardRustin (March 17, 1912 – August 24, 1987): Born in Pennsylvania and raised by his maternal grandparents (he believed his biological mother was actually an older sister), Rustin grew up surrounded by figures of the early Civil Rights Movement such as #WEBDuBois. This fostered within him a deep sense of duty to his community, andContinue reading “Bayard Rustin”
George Harris/Hibiscus
#GeorgeHarris/#Hibiscus (September 6, 1949 – May 6, 1982): What most people know of George Harris is the famous photograph of him placing flowers in the guns of the military police force at the #Pentagon in 1967. Few people knew that this same person was Hibiscus, a performer/activist and the founder of #TheCockettes, a psychedelic gay liberation theatre collectiveContinue reading “George Harris/Hibiscus”
Stormé DeLarverie
#StormeDeLarverie (December 24, 1920 – May 24, 2014): Born in #NewOrleans to an African-American mother and a white father, DeLarverie faced bullying and harassment as a child. As a teenager, she had an early career as an equestrian for #RinglingBrothersCircus. Eventually she made her way to #NewYork, where she worked as an MC, bouncer, andContinue reading “Stormé DeLarverie”
We’wha
A member of the Zuni tribe from New Mexico, We’wha were the most famous Lhamana, male-bodied people who take on social and ceremonial roles usually performed by women in their culture (some modern Lhamana are part of the Two Spirit community). Pronoun preference was not commonly discussed in the 19th century, but historians have used both masculine and feminine pronouns forContinue reading “We’wha”
Honey Mahogany
#HoneyMahogany (December 30th, 1983 – ): First coming to national prominence with her appearance in Season 5 of #RuPaulsDragRace, she chose her name from two colors of Revlon makeup that were close to her skin tone. After her appearance on Drag Race, she continued working in drag and continued her work as an activist for manyContinue reading “Honey Mahogany”
Legends of Pride 