A former Communist and Black Panther, Davis spent much of her youth speaking out against the issues like the U.S. Angela Davis (Sal Veder / AP)Īctivist, author and retired UC Santa Cruz professor Angela Davis has made a name for herself as one of history’s most staunch voices against war, homophobia, racism, and sexism. Rowell in an interview for literary journal Callaloo. It is about revolution and change,” she told Charles H. “My sexuality is part and parcel of who I am, and my poetry comes from the intersection of me and my worlds… Jesse Helms’s objection to my work is not about obscenity… or even about sex. Lorde often discussed her lesbian identity and LGBTQ rights side-by-side with her words on political activism, Black identity and feminism in fact, the topics went hand-in-hand.
SALLY FIELD GAY PRIDE COLORS FREE
She noted in a 1972 interview that her ultimate goal was “to see gay people liberated and free and to have equal rights that other people have in America”. (Netflix) Audre Lorde (Robert Alexander / Getty Images)Īudre Lorde, a “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet” as she described herself, was a multi-hyphenate in the poetic and literary world known for discussing the ins and outs of homophobia, racism and sexism in her works. Thanks to her roles in the Stonewall riots and as a founder of the activist organization Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), among other acts of liberation, Johnson is considered a pioneer in the LGBTQ community. Johnson was a transgender activist, advocate, drag queen and sex worker who made fighting for LGBTQ rights in New York City her purpose after moving from New Jersey in 1963. This means that Ride was the first known lesbian astronaut. Ride was extremely private about her personal life, however after Ride’s death, her obituary revealed that her partner of 27 years was Tam O’Shaughnessy, a professor emerita of school psychology at San Diego State University and childhood friend, who met her when both were aspiring tennis players. Ride remains the youngest American astronaut to have travelled to space, having done so at the age of 32. They were also the third woman in space overall, after USSR cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova (1963) and Svetlana Savitskaya (1982). Sally Ride was an American astronaut and physicist, joining NASA in 1978 and became the first American woman in space in 1983.
In honor of Pride Month, discover some of history’s most prominent LGBTQ figures and their lasting impacts. But it’s also a time to honor and remember the people who have paved the way for gay rights activism, like Sylvia Rivera and Harvey Milk, or become cultural icons through their work, like writer James Baldwin Rainbow flags are hoisted high, droves rush to parades, and LGBTQ-identifying people and allies adorn their best Pride regalia. Pride is a time for celebration and acceptance.