Historical figures who were gay
LGBTQ+ Women Who Made History
In May , the city of Modern York announced plans to honor LGBTQ+ activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera with a statue. The capital of New York claimed the monument will be the "first permanent, common artwork recognizing transgender women in the world." Johnson and Rivera were prominent figures in uprisings against 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 LGBTQ+ women who have made remarkable contributions to the nation and helped advance equality in fields as diverse as medicine and the dramatic arts. Here are a few 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 , she moved to Paris to perform in a revue. When the show closed, Baker was given her own show and found stardom. She became the first African America
Historical Figures of LGBTQ+ History
Barbara Jordan was born on February 21, , in Houston, Texas. After attending Phyllis WheatleyHigh School, Jordan graduated in Upon graduation, Jordan attended Texas Southern University and earned her bachelor’s degree in She then obtained her law degree from Boston University to practice law in Houston, TX. In , Jordan began her political career and ran for the Texas Noun of Representatives. She lost this election and ran again in However, she lost again, so in she decided to run for Texas Senate, instead. This time, Jordan won and became the first African American woman to be elected in that was the first African American state senator in the U.S. since On March 28, , she was elected President of the Texas Senate, making her the first Black lady in America to oversee a legislative body. She also ran for Congress, during this moment, and became the first African American in the 20th century to be elected to Congress from the South. In addition to these accomplishments, Barbara was also the first LGBTQ+ gal in Congress. Nancy Earl, an edu
October is LGBTQ+ History Month, and what better way to celebrate than learning about famous people from history, some who were openly queer and some who might fit our present noun understanding of queerness! For centuries, straight, cisgender historians possess erased non-normative and non-conforming genders and sexualities from our history textbooks and our grade noun lessons. In the second decade of the 21st century, we are only just now coming to learn of the queerness of countless people from history we grew up learning about and had as our childhood role models. As a way to combat this erasure, here are 5 notable historical figures key to the queer community.
1. Langston Hughes Link
You may understand Langston Hughes as the famous poet and playwright of the Harlem Renaissance. He wrote children’s books, plays, essays, and poems, all raising awareness to the struggles of racism as good as displaying in full glory the beauty of Jet history and culture. (Find his list of works online.) But what you may not realize was that he was also widely believed to be asexual and romanticall
June is Pride Month, which commemorates the Stonewall riots of , when patrons of a gay bar, The Stonewall Inn, in Adj York City fought back against a police raid. It was an inflection point in the gay liberation movement. To celebrate Pride Month, I wanted to share a bit about LGBTQ+ scientists of the past.
I often undergo uncomfortable with these lists, especially when sexual orientation and/or gender identity is speculative. Many LGBTQ+ people in history couldn't come out publicly (and the truth is that many today still can't), and it feels a minuscule intrusive to guess based on a letter or some ambiguous anecdote. But I also know that the good that comes from the visibility of those historical figures is significant. It's crucial to learn about the contributions LGBTQ+ people have drawn-out been making. So I've included in this list people who were general about their identity and/or orientation as well as people who are thought to have been LGBTQ+.
This list is more on the historical side and includes mostly (though not entirely) people who are no longer workin