Learn the History of Pride

Pride activist ancestors deserve to be honored and known. This is not an all encompassing list, but will hopefully serve as a starting point in your research

Marsha P. Johnson

Marsha was and remains one of the most prominent LGBTQIA+ activists of the 60s and 70s. It’s important to know that she was a Black trans woman. Back then, BIPOC and trans erasure from the gay rights movement was strong despite Johnson and other activists like Slyvia Rivera being on the front lines of the Stonewall Riots. Marsha’s activism post-Stonewall included the founding of Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) with Slyvia. STAR was “an organization dedicated to sheltering young transgender individuals who were shunned by their families.” and largely inspired by the founders’ own experiences with houselessness due to discrimination. In 2021, on what would’ve been her 76th birthday, a statue of Marsha was erected near Stonewall, making it the first ever statue in NYC honoring a trans woman.

Slyvia Rivera

Slyvia Rivera was a Latinx trans woman on the front lines of the early LGBTQIA+ movement. She became close friends and co-founders of STAR with Marsha P. Johnson. “Rivera said in an interview in 2001 that while she did not throw the first Molotov cocktail at the police (a long-enduring myth), she did throw the second.” (Rothberg 2021). Following the Stonewall Riots came NYC’s very first Pride parade in 1970. However, BIPOC and trans voices were largely excluded and while Slyvia did attend, she was not allowed to speak. But in an iconic and brave moment, she took the microphone and said “If it wasn’t for the drag queen, there would be no gay liberation movement. We’re the front-liners.” She was promptly booed off stage, but her activism continued. In 2015, she became the first trans woman to be included in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.

Harvey Milk

Harvey Milk was one of the first ever openly gay elected officials. In 1977, Harvey won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors following an unprecedented campaign where he proudly and unapologetically identified as a gay man. Before his election, Harvey demonstrated against the Vietnam War and co-founded the Castro Village Association, the first ever organization of predominantly LGBTQIA+ owned businesses. During his election, he proved to be a strong and beloved leader in the community. He encouraged BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ coalition building, brought in good policies and publicly spoke out against bad ones, most notably CA Proposition 6, which would have mandated the firing of gay teachers in the public school system. Tragically, Harvey was assassinated in 1978, only a year after being elected. His story and legacy continues on through the groundwork he set for communities across the country.