Famous gay historical figures
June is Pride Month, which commemorates the Stonewall riots of 1969, when patrons of a homosexual bar, The Stonewall Inn, in Brand-new York City fought back against a police raid. It was an inflection point in the gay liberation movement. To celebrate Celebration Month, I wanted to share a bit about Queer scientists of the past.
I often undergo uncomfortable with these lists, especially when sexual orientation and/or gender identity is speculative. Many Queer people in history couldn't come out publicly (and the truth is that many today still can't), and it feels a petty 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 key to learn about the contributions Queer people have elongated been making. So I've included in this list people who were widespread about their individuality and/or orientation as well as people who are reflection to have been LGBTQ+.
This list is more on the historical side and includes mostly (though not entirely) people who are no longer working scientists. If you are more interested in learning about current LGBTQ+ scientists, seize a loo
12 LGBT icons from history you should know about
Marsha P. Johnson was an African American transgender-rights activist, whose work in the 1960s and 1970s had a huge impact on the LGBT community.
At this time, being gay was classified as a mental illness in the Combined States. Gay people were regularly threatened and thrashed by police, and were shunned by many in society.
In June 1969, when Marsha was 23 years old, police raided a gay bar in Fresh York called The Stonewall Inn. The police forced over 200 people out of the bar and onto the streets, and then used excessive hostility against them.
Marsha, who was living and working in New York at the time, was one of the key figures who stood up to the police during the raids.
Marsha resisted arrest, but in the following days, led a series of protests and riots demanding rights for gay people.
News of these protests spread around the society, inspiring others to connect protests and rights groups to fight for equality.
Read more about Marsha P. Johnson here.
Historical Figures of LGBTQ+ History
1936-1996
Barbara Jordan was born on February 21, 1936, in Houston, Texas. After attending Phyllis WheatleyHigh School, Jordan graduated in 1952. Upon graduation, Jordan attended Texas Southern University and earned her bachelor’s degree in 1956.She then obtained her law degree from Boston University to practice commandment in Houston, TX. In 1962, Jordan began her political career and ran for the Texas Dwelling of Representatives. She confused this election and ran again in 1964. However, she lost again, so in 1966 she decided to run for Texas Senate, instead. This day, Jordan won and became the first African American woman to be elected in that office.She was the first African American state senator in the U.S. since 1883. On March 28, 1972, she was elected President of the Texas Senate, making her the first Shadowy woman in America to oversee a legislative body. She also ran for Congress, during this period, 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+ woman in Congress. Nancy Earl, an educational psychologist, was Jordan’s comp
October is LGBTQ+ History Month, and what better way to celebrate than teaching about famous people from history, some who were openly queer and some who might fit our present day understanding of queerness! For centuries, vertical, cisgender historians have erased non-normative and non-conforming genders and sexualities from our history textbooks and our grade school 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 famous historical figures important to the lgbtq+ community.
1. Langston Hughes Link
You may know 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 successfully as displaying in occupied glory the beauty of Black history and society. (Find his list of works online.) But what you may not realize was that he was also widely believed to be asexual and romantically attracted to men.
Hughes’ sexuality is still widely debated, as he never openly talked about it
Nine historical LGBTQ figures you need to know about
5, 6 and 7. Sylvia Rivera, Marsha P. Johnson, and Stormé DeLarverie.
In 1969, a series of demonstrations by LGBTQ people erupted in response to a police raid of a gay bar – The Stonewall Inn – in Recent York City. This became known as The Stonewall Rebellion, or The Stonewall Uprising. These events triggered LGBTQ liberation work in the US and beyond. Key figures at Stonewall included transitioned women Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, and female homosexual Stormé DeLarverie.
Alfred Kinsey
8. Bayard Rustin
Bayard Rustin was a vitally crucial figure in the black civil rights movement and near advisor to Martin Luther King, Jr. He was openly gay and a committed advocate of nonviolence. Historians hold speculated that his marginalisation in the historical record could be a product of his sexuality. On 8 August, 2013, Present Barack Obama announced Rustin would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously. This is the utmost award that can be given in the United States.
9. Alfred Kinsey
Alfred Kinsey, creator of The Kinsey Scale, was a bisexual researcher in the field of biology and sexology. The