Important Figures

Barbra Gettings

Barbra Gettings was a Civil Rights Activists in the 1950s. She was also the editor of "The Ladder" which was one of the first Lesbian magazines. She was also instrumental in redefining homosexuality. She believed that homosexuality should not be defined as a disease. She would fight for it to not be labeled as a mental illness in the 1970s. This would not become a reality until 1973. She was also an advocate for LGBT literature to be more available and accessible.

Harvey Milk

Harvey Milk was the first openly gay elected official. He was elected to the Francisco Board of Supervisors. He was also a gay rights activists. He would be killed shortly after being elected by a colleague, Dan White. Dan White would not go to jail for his crime. The jury was an all straight and male jury. He used the defense that it was diet that made him angry enough to kill Harvey Milk. This would infuriate the LGBT community and would call them to be more persistent in their activism. 

Matthew Shepard

Matthew Shepard was never able to do his part in activism. It was his death that sparked a national movement. It also forced people to think about hate crimes. Matthew Shepard was killed by two men in Wyoming just for being gay. He was found and immediately put on life support. He was not expected to live and he did not. His death forced people, especially parents to think about the LGBT community. Matthew could have been anyone's son and that forced Americans to re-think how they viewed the LGBTQ community as a whole.

Sarah Mcbride

Sarah Mcbride is a Transgender Rights Activist and the National Spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign. She was the first Transgender individual to speak at the DNC (Democratic National Convention). She has been outspoken against the Trump Administration. Because of this she has gained attention and has been able to be an upstanding role model for the Transgender community.