Gay activists

Back in May of 2019, New York City made public its intentions for paying tribute to LGBTQ+ activists Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson via a statue. The city of New York stated that the planned monument would represent the "first ever permanent, public artistic creation recognizing transgender women across the globe." Both Johnson and Rivera were towering figures who took part in revolts against police actions during the nineteen sixty-nine raids held at the Stonewall Inn, a well-known gay bar. Their acts of protest amplified the exposure of the pursuit of LGBTQ+ acceptance. 

For the duration of Pride Month celebrations, we recognize LGBTQ+ women; these women have offered truly remarkable contributions to this very nation and also have aided in the advancement of equality in domains as strikingly varied as medicine and even the dramatic arts. Provided here are a select few of their stories, represented through items located in the collections of the Smithsonian. 

1. Josephine Baker 

Performer, (and) activist Josephine Baker graced stages within vaudeville showcases plus Broadway musicals, most notably Shuffle Along. During 1925, she relocated to Paris so she could perform in what was called a revue. When the show concluded, Baker was granted her own show, and that's where she came into stardom. She attained the distinction of becoming the very first African American woman ever to feature as the lead within a motion picture in addition to performing alongside an integrated cast at none other than an American concert hall. At what was called the March on Washington, back in 1968, Baker held the distinction of being the only woman who spoke. In her heartfelt speech, she gave honor to her fellow women civil rights activists. Throughout her life, she had connections with both men and women. 

2. Jane Addams 

During the closing years of the nineteenth century and early years of the twentieth, Jane Addams filled a multitude of roles: she was a suffragist, social worker, activist, along with a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. It should be noted that Addams established Chicago's Hull House back in 1889, during a period where countless new immigrants found themselves living and working within extremely challenging conditions. This specific settlement house delivered a multitude of things, including health care services, day care services, education, vocational training, social and cultural activities, and legal aid for the immigrant community, thereby originating a new paradigm for what social welfare should be. Addams and philanthropist Mary Rozet Smith maintained a decades-long relationship marked with affectionate letters. 

3. Sylvia Rivera  

Activist Sylvia Rivera is perhaps best recognized due to her involvement during the uprisings which took place around the Stonewall Inn during 1969, this Stonewall Inn being a gay bar located in New York City. When the police executed a raid on this specific bar, the patrons chose to fight back. In the aftermath of these particular uprisings, LGBTQ+ community participants established the Gay Activists Alliance, also known as GAA. Rivera worked alongside the GAA for the purpose of urging New York City in order to put an end to discrimination targeted towards LGBT residents. Yet, the GAA's command structure frequently dismissed the roles that trans people played in Stonewall, most being people of color. Rivera joined forces with Marsha P. Johnson, and together they brought STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) into being. Rivera and Johnson provided a home as well as a family for young LGBT individuals. Via STAR, they effectively organized alongside protesting concerning matters that affected their community within New York City.  

Bryan Miller, who is a cataloguer employed at our own National Museum of African American History and Culture, made the following statement, "Marsha P. Johnson never actually used 'transgender' when describing her particular gender identity, mainly because the phrase gained popularity following her passing during 1992. Actually, she would typically make reference to herself as being a 'transvestite'—a term which many nowadays find offensive. While there exist some who make the assertion that Johnson would most likely identify as transgender in today's world as opposed to transvestite, I, for one, make use of the prefix 'trans' when describing Marsha, seeing that it is a nomenclature that proves to be more inclusive and makes room for an understanding of non-binary gender identities that is more expansive." 

4. Sally K. Ride 

Astronaut Sally K. Ride was seen wearing the displayed in-flight suit all throughout the STS-7 mission lasting six days. This particular mission took place aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger back in June of 1983, and it was during this time that she made history by becoming the very first American woman ever to journey into space. Later on in her life, Dr. Ride (who also worked as an engineer and physicist) transitioned into becoming the director for the California Space Institute in addition to a physics professor at the University of California, San Diego. 

During 2013, President Obama presented Ride with a Presidential Medal of Freedom, presented posthumously. He stated, "She ended up inspiring numerous generations made up of young girls for the purpose of reaching for the stars, and she later fought with endless determination to assist them in getting there via advocating in favor of a more concentrated emphasis on science and also math within our school systems. Sally's life gave us a demonstration of the fact that there truly exist no limits when it comes to what it is that we are capable of achieving." 

5. Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie 

Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie has earned recognition as a Two Spirit curator and photographer who is well known for her artistic expressions depicting both Native women and families, Native individuals living in an urban setting, and Indigenous responses regarding colonialist history. She came into this world belonging to the Seminole as well as the Muscogee nations' bear and raccoon clans and simultaneously came into this world "for" the Navajo Nation's Tsinajinnie clan. 

She takes an active role in numerous Native American organizations, and she carries on the work of documenting Indigenous community gatherings in addition to acts of activism and sovereignty which take place in northern California. She currently holds a position as Professor of Native American Studies at UC Davis and is the Director of the C.N. Gorman Museum.   

Two Spirit functions as something of a catch-all phrase utilized for Native people who are known to possess both female spirits and male spirits, and the term sees use when describing varying gender identities which are observable among Native Americans coupled with First Nations. Two Spirit individuals additionally utilize vocabulary derived from their Indigenous languages when referring to gender variance. 

Because of the matrilineal characteristics of the Navajo Nation, children come into this world being a part of the clan belonging to their mothers, while simultaneously being "born for" the clan belonging to their fathers.  

6. Charlotte Cushman 

Charlotte Cushman was regarded as an icon within 19th century theatre; she found herself contending on an even playing field alongside the greatest male actors present during the era while simultaneously garnering a devoted following spanning the United States in addition to Europe. Despite the fact that Cushman took on both male and female roles, she found herself being best known on account of the male roles she played, most notably Romeo (shown in the picture), Hamlet, and Cardinal Wolsey found within Shakespeare's Henry VIII. Both on stage and off stage, Cushman issued a challenge to established conventions pertaining to both gender and sexuality. At the time she was an adult, she took up residence within a community that she liked to call "jolly female bachelors" or even "emancipated women," who were well-known on account of their habit of producing art, opting to wear men's clothing, and lobbying in support of working women.  

7. Cecilia Chung 

Cecilia Chung dedicates her efforts to defending human rights, social justice, health equity, and also LGBT equality. Chung's birthplace was Hong Kong. She has been a resident of San Francisco ever since 1984. As of today, she serves as the Director of Evaluation and Strategic Initiatives over at the Transgender Law Center. Back in 2008, she broke the glass ceiling, becoming the very first transgender woman in addition to the very first person to openly live while infected with HIV for the purpose of chairing the San Francisco Human Rights Commission. She also served on the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS between the years of 2013 and 2015. During 2020, she took part in a panel that showcased HIV Activists and Caretakers for our own National Museum of Natural History; this panel took place as part of the museum's fourth yearly commemoration that honored World AIDS Day. Over the course of this specific event, she spoke about how she was responsible for creating Positively Trans; this represents a nationwide network made up of transgender people who are currently living with HIV, most notably being people of color whose primary focus is on storytelling, policy advocacy, and the progression of leadership qualities.  

8. Lorraine Hansberry 

Lorraine Hansberry is regarded as a playwright, activist, and writer. Hansberry is perhaps best recognized on account of her film and Broadway play known as A Raisin in the Sun. She drew inspiration from her family's groundbreaking court battle that challenged Chicago's discriminatory real estate regulations. Hansberry actively participated in civil rights demonstrations and the communist movement all through her life. While she did end up marrying her closest friend by the name of Robert Nemiroff, she would secretly validate her very own homosexuality through her letters coupled with unpublished short stories. Her life was tragically cut short because of pancreatic cancer when she reached the age of thirty-four on January 12th of 1965. 

9. Dr. Renée Richards 

The Dunlop tennis racket you're seeing here was the property of Dr. Renée Richards, who is an ophthalmologist, former tennis player, in addition to being one of the earliest professional athletes who identified as a transgender individual. Following Richards' sex reassignment procedure in 1976, the U.S. Tennis Association made it a requirement for her to undergo genetic screening for the purpose of being granted permission to play at the U.S. Open as a woman. Richards made the decision to refuse, and she was consequently barred from participating in the tournament. She subsequently filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Tennis Association citing gender discrimination, and she ended up prevailing in a landmark decision. The following year, Richards secured admission, thereby allowing her to participate in the U.S. Open, at which point she was able to make it all the way to the final within the women's doubles tournament.