Important names in the fight for LGBTQ+ equality

What do you remember about Women’s History Month from school? Do you see images of Susan B. Anthony? Amelia Earhart? Eleanor Roosevelt? All of these women are absolutely worthy of honoring and remembering – they did some really powerful things toward women’s equality and should be recognized. But their wins and triumphs have not always been afforded to all women. And this speaks directly to the point of my post — Women’s History Month means celebrating and uplifting all women of all races, classes, religions, and identities.

From the earliest feminist movement through today, trans women have been purposefully excluded from the narrative based on the archaic and ill-informed belief that they are not “real women” (ahem, I’m looking at you JK Rowling…). But the fact of the matter is that this is simply not true. Trans women are women. Plain and simple. My post isn’t directed at educating about sex versus gender versus gender identity but to read more on the topic, Planned Parenthood has some really fantastic and comprehensive resources you should definitely check out.

My post is here to raise up some of the most important names in the fight for LGBTQ+ equality that many of you may never have heard of.

Being out in any form is brave. Being Out, and Black and Trans and Proud is heroic. Historically, when Trans women are depicted in popular media they are often the butt of the joke or shown as dangerous — literally dangerous to those around them or (and possibly more sinister) a danger to the made up narrative of what a woman is supposed to be in society. There is a fantastic documentary on Netflix with acclaimed trans actress and activist Laverne Cox called Disclosure that delves into the topic of how transgender people are depicted in Hollywood that I highly recommend.

The reality is Trans and Gender Non-Conforming (GNC) people are often the target of violence and hatred, simply for being themselves. In 2020, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) tracked a total of at least 44 fatalities of trans and GNC people. Not even 2 and half months into 2021 has seen 11 already. A majority of these are Black and Latinx transgender women. And this is just those that are reported. Often these crimes go unreported, or misreported based on bigotry and misgendering.

When I first started thinking about who I might highlight for my post so many names flooded my mind. How could I pick just one woman when there have been so many important and pivotal voices in the fight for trans rights? So I’m not going to choose. I’m going to highlight and let you explore. And please drop more names and links into the thread! I limited myself to just three when really there are so many!

‍Marsha “Pay It No Mind” Johnson was a Black trans woman and one of the most prominent figures in the Stonewall Uprising in 1969. Along with fellow activist Sylvia Rivera, Johnson founded STAR, a group committed to supporting transgender youth in New York City and one of the first transgender rights organizations in the U.S. Marsha died tragically at the age of 46,  shortly after Pride in 1992 when she was found in the Hudson River. Her death was hastily deemed a suicide by the NYPD, despite not having left a note and after multiple witnesses describe seeing her being harassed by a group of men who slung homophobic and transphobic slurs at her. After years of fighting by her friends and loved ones, her case was finally reopened in 2012. To learn more about Marsha, check out the Netflix documentary The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson or the podcast Making Gay History - Marsha P. Johnson & Randy Wicker

‍Jazz Jennings, at the age of 20 years old, is probably one of the youngest publicly facing LGBTQ+ rights activists. From the moment she could speak she stressed to her parents that she was “a girl trapped in a boy’s body”. When Jazz was just 6 years old she appeared on 20/20 with Barbara Walters discussing what it meant to be a transgender child — Keep in mind this was in 2007, years before mainstream society cared enough to fight over school bathrooms and locker rooms. She published her first book I Am Jazz when she was only 12, which discusses her experience navigating the world as a trans child. The book later led to a successful reality television show on TLC of the same name.

‍Angelica Ross is an entrepreneur, businesswoman, actress, and activist. While probably best known for her work on shows like Pose, Transparent, and the Emmy-nominated web series Her Story, she is also the CEO of TransTech Social Enterprises, a nonprofit organization that provides career technical and digital training for transgender folx.