5 LGBTQ+ Icons You Should Have Learned About

One of the many disadvantages of growing up in a hetero-normative society is the lack of education on LGBTQ+ historical figures. Before doing my own research, I had no idea that a plethora of LGBTQ+ icons exist in our history books who have paved the way for queer representation and equal rights.  

Since I was never taught in-depth about any LGBTQ+ history or historical figures in school or media, I strongly believe that it is essential to keep these remarkable people alive through retelling their stories that have been silenced and marginalized for far too long. 

Here is my list of five LGBTQ+ icons you should have learned about but did not because our heteronormative society said so. 

Harvey Milk (1930-1978) 

Harvey Milk was a leading political activist for the LGBTQ+ community in the early 1970’s after serving in the U.S. Navy, where he kept his homosexuality a secret. To become an activist and political leader, he moved to San Francisco and ran for a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay politician ever to be elected in California. During his time on the board, he was a prominent LGBTQ+ activist. He sponsored a bill banning discrimination in public accommodations, housing and employment on the basis of sexual orientation. Shortly after the bill was passed, he was assassinated in 1978 by a colleague, Dan White, who opposed the bill and shot Milk five times in his own office. Although Harvey Milk served only one year on the San Francisco Board, his activism earned the LGBTQ+ community more rights and protection under the law at a time where they were relatively non-existent. 

https://www.history.com/topics/gay-rights/harvey-milk\\

Grethe Cammermeyer 

After serving nearly 27 years in the U.S. military as the head nurse in the neurological unit in America, Germany and Vietnam, Margarethe (Grethe) Cammermeyer was discharged when she admitted she was a lesbian in a routine security clearance interview. Instead of accepting her honourable discharge, Grethe chose to fight the Army, suing them in court on the ground that her discharge was unconstitutional, founded on the basis of prejudice and homophobia. She won her case in 1994 and was reinstated as Chief Nurse of the National Guard. After her hearing, the decades-long ban on LGBTQ+ members in the military was lifted, and Grethe continued to push for equality by fighting the Army’s anti-gay policies as a prominent LGBTQ+ activist. 

https://www.cammermeyer.com/

James Baldwin (1924-1987) 

James Baldwin was an African American writer and social critic known for his groundbreaking novel, “Giovanni’s Room,” which depicted homosexuality and bisexuality in the early 1950s. His book was revolutionary in terms of Black LGBTQ+ representation at a time when books with any themes of homosexuality were hardly ever published. He later continued to participate in social activism that influenced the Gay Civil Rights movement in the 1960s with lectures on race, racism and the gay community.  

Barabara Gittings (1932-2007) 

Barbara Gittings was a gay rights activist, who was unafraid to be an open and visible lesbian icon before the Stonewall Uprising in 1969. She organized the New York Daughters of Bilitis, a group of lesbian activists in the 50s, and edited one of the first lesbian publications called The Ladder. Her efforts were instrumental in getting the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to stop classifying homosexuality as a mental illness. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/pride50-barbara-gittings-mother-gay-rights-movement-n1008596

Lucy Hicks Anderson (1886-1954) 

Lucy Hicks Anderson was a Black transgender woman who was tried for perjury after marrying the man she loved. Kentucky born and raised, Lucy was a fighter for marriage equality who also pushed for acceptance of the trans community. She married two men in her lifetime but was accused of having “lied” under oath during her marriages by not disclosing she was assigned male at birth. Despite enduring discrimination, she was unafraid to live as her authentic self, and became one of the first Black women to challenge the courts. 

https://hellogiggles.com/lifestyle/trans-women-learning-history-class/

These brief descriptions are only a fraction of the historical individuals who have shown ambition, courage and authenticity when LGBTQ+ rights and equality were non-existent. Because of their actions, the LGBTQ+ community has more rights and protection under the law and activists continue to rise and challenge inequality and homophobia today. 

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