Lesbian activist
16 queer Black trailblazers who made history
From 1960s civil rights activist Bayard Rustin to Chicago's first lesbian mayor, Lori Lightfoot, Black LGBTQ Americans have drawn-out made history with innumerable contributions to politics, art, medicine and a host of other fields.
“As long as there have been Shadowy people, there contain been Black LGBTQ and same-gender-loving people,” David J. Johns, executive director of the National Ebony Justice Coalition, told NBC News. “Racism combined with the forces of stigma, phobia, discrimination and bias associated with gender and sexuality have too often erased the contributions of members of our community."
Gladys Bentley (1907-1960)
Bentley was a gender-bending performer during the Harlem Renaissance. Donning a highest hat and tuxedo, Bentley would vocalize the blues in Harlem establishments prefer the Clam Property and the Ubangi Club. According to a belated obituary published in 2019, The New York Times said Bentley, who died in 1960 at the age of 52, was "Harlem's most famous lesbian" in the 1930s and "among the best-known Black entertainers in the United States."
Bayard Rustin (1912-1987)
Rustin was an LGBTQ and civil rights activist best known f
LGBTQ+ Women Who Made History
In May 2019, the city of Modern York announced plans to honor Gay activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera with a statue. The town of New York claimed the monument will be the "first permanent, general artwork recognizing genderqueer women in the world." Johnson and Rivera were prominent figures in uprisings against 1969 police raids at the gay bar Stonewall Inn. Their protests increased visibility for the cause of LGBTQ+ acceptance.
In celebration of Pride Month, we honor Homosexual women who hold made remarkable contributions to the nation and helped advance equality in fields as diverse as medicine and the dramatic arts. Here are a scant of their stories, represented by objects in the Smithsonian's collections.
1. Josephine Baker
Entertainer and activist Josephine Baker performed in vaudeville showcases and in Broadway musicals, including Shuffle Along. In 1925, she moved to Paris to perform in a revue. When the show closed, Baker was given her own demonstrate and found stardom. She became the first African American woman to celestial body in a motion picture and to perform with an integrated cast at an A
Conductor, singer, teacher, and motivational speaker,Timothy Seelig (born January 10, 1951) has been recognized for his talents worldwide.
His first experience with a gay choir was as a conductor with the Turtle Creek Chorale in 1987, shortly after coming out and losing close ties with family and friends. During that time, Seelig saw the pervasive, painful impact of the AIDS epidemic and began supporting his local society. Today, Seelig continues to increase awareness of the AIDS epidemic through his musical and speaking engagements.
In 2011, Seelig joined the SFGMC as Artistic Director, bringing incredible passion and creativity to our chorus. On the 35th anniversary of the assassination of Harvey Milk, and SFGMC's 35th anniversary,Seelig and Andrew Lippa place together an hour-long concert celebrating Milk’s life and achievements.
This was followed by theLavender Pen Tour, which toured the Deep South after the government proposed several anti-LGBTQ laws. Seelig is one of the LGBTQ leaders who brought the community together and included allies in conversations that will continue to inspirefuture generations.
After nearly 11 proud years, Seelig retired from hi
Published in:March-April 2024 issue.
I FIRST MET Amber Hollibaugh in 1979, when I spent several months in San Francisco doing research for what became Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities. My first weekend there I was on a panel on gay and lesbian history organized by the Fundamental History Network. Such events were rare in 1979. One of those in the audience was a tall, imposing blonde named Amber. She told me she worked at Contemporary Times, a bookstore jog by a left-wing collective, and that I should come by. The bookstore was not far from the Castro, and a few days later, when I walked in, she was at the counter reading Jeffrey Weeks’ pioneering book Coming Out, one of the first LGBT narrative histories. We talked for a bit, but customers needed her attention, so I left.
The tracking Monday, the verdict came down in the trial of Dan White for the assassination of Harvey Milk and George Moscone. He received the lightest possible sentence for two cold-blooded murders, and the call immediately went out to assemble at Metropolis Hall to protest. The plaza in front of it was packed when I arrived. Speakers addressed us—the two I keep in mind were Harry Britt and Sally Gearhart—and all,