In this quotation, he stresses that doing so will not only monumental for those in the queer community who don’t feel represented it will also empower anyone who feels disenfranchised by those who are supposed to represent them. When Harvey Milk became the first openly gay person elected to public office in California, he became the face of the push to put more LGBTQ people in positions of power. “If you help elect more gay people, that gives a green light to all who feel disenfranchised a green light to move forward.” – Harvey Milk Her advocacy aimed to normalize transgenderism and allow those who identified as trans to understand and accept themselves for who they truly are. While many decried her decision as unnatural, she made the bold assertion that nature was wrong in putting her into a man’s body, and that the reassignment surgery made things right. “Nature made a mistake, which I have corrected.” – Christine JorgensenĬhristine Jorgensen was one of the first people to undergo sex reassignment surgery, and the first to publicly speak about the process. However, as she states in the above quote, her greatest wish was not for laws to pass, but for true acceptance and equality.
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She picketed to stop them from barring LGBTQ applicants from employment.
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In her most well-known fight she took on a Goliath: the United States government. The struggle is really won in the hearts and minds of the community, where it really counts.” – Barbara Gittingsīarbara Gittings is known for being an American activist fighting on behalf of the LGBTQ population. In the above quotation, Parsi seeks the assistance of LGBTQ people living in Western nations, providing a powerful reminder that while things are slowly improving in the west, there are still queer people all over the world who live every day afraid for their very lives. “Every LGBTQ+ refugee has a unique situation-but the fear and pain they endured before coming to Canada is universal.” – Arsham ParsiĪrsham Parsi, an Iranian refugee living in Canada in exile, has made it his mission to help LGBTQ people living in Iran: a nation where acts of homosexuality are punishable by flogging or even death. This marked one of the first calls from a head of state to make LGBTQ rights the standard worldwide. However, she emphasized that until these rights are status quo all over the world, we cannot consider ourselves truly free. In this speech, she was thankful that her native country was making strides towards acceptance and equal rights for LGBTQ people. Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, a former Icelandic Prime Minister and the first openly gay head of state, uttered these words during a speech at a 2014 Pride festival. “It is absolutely imperative that every human being’s freedom and human rights are respected, all over the world.”– Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir Despite being arrested numerous times, Ulrichs stated in the above quotation that he was proud of the work that he did for the LGBTQ community. During his lifetime, Ulrichs wrote numerous essays discussing homosexuality and asserting that non-heterosexual orientations are natural and biological. Born in Germany in 1825, his coming out was a historic and brave moment. Karl Heinrich Ulrichs is known as one of the first gay men to publicly announce his sexual identity. “I am proud, that I found the courage to deal the initial blow to the hydra of public contempt.” – Karl Heinrich Ulrichs You may also like: Top 10 LGBTQ+ online courses on Health, Diversity and Inclusion 3. So, instead of waiting for someone else to validate LGBT women of color, she took it upon herself to bring the struggles, needs, and beauty of these women to light. It is her intention to use her art to highlight the beauty and individuality of black LGBTQ women: a group that she believes has been terribly underrepresented in all forms of art. Despite her fame as an artist, Muholi identifies herself as an activist first.
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She works primarily in photography and video. Zanele Muholi is a South African activist and artist. “If I wait for someone else to validate my existence, it will mean that I’m shortchanging myself.” – Zanele Muholi With this quote, Baldwin assured them that it didn’t matter because love is love.
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These words resonated with millions of people who felt like their emotions were invalid because of the gender of the object of their love. Nothing should stand in their way if they have love in their hearts. He proclaims that sex and gender don’t matter all that matters is that two people love each other. In his iconic novel Giovanni’s Room, gay author James Baldwin makes a powerful statement about love. Do you think anything else under heaven really matters?” – James Baldwin