Stonewall 50 Ofrenda

ACT UP AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) is an international direct action advocacy group working to impact the lives of people with AIDS. The group demanded that government officials address the AIDS epidemic. Through protest, the group was instrumental in bringing about legislation, medical research and treatment and policies that mitigated the loss [...]

José Sarria  1922-2013 The Imperial Court System was founded by José Sarria, an activist and drag queen also known as Absolute Empress I, The Widow Norton, Empress José I, and the Nightingale of Montgomery Street. Sarria was a Columbian immigrant who had served in the army in World War II. He had hoped to become [...]

Harvey Milk  1930-1978 Harvey Milk was an American politician and gay-rights activist. After graduating from the New York State College for Teachers in Albany, Milk served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and was discharged in 1955. He held several jobs before becoming a financial analyst in New York. In 1972 he moved [...]

John E. Fryer, M.D.  1937-2003 John Ercel Fryer, M.D. was an American psychiatrist and gay rights activist best known for his anonymous speech at the 1972 American Psychiatric Association (APA) annual conference where he appeared in disguise and under the name Dr. Henry Anonymous. Fryer received his medical degree from Vanderbilt University and did his [...]

Christine Jorgensen  1926-1989 Christine Jorgensen, a U.S. Army veteran and Bronx native, was the first American woman to publicly announce her gender confirmation surgery. Her transition was the subject of a New York Daily News front-page story. She became an instant celebrity, using the platform to advocate for transgender people and became known for her [...]

Alan L. Hart 1890-1962 Alan L. Hart was an American physician, radiologist, tuberculosis researcher, writer and novelist. He pioneered the use of x-ray photography in tuberculosis detection, and helped implement TB screening programs that saved thousands of lives. Hart graduated from Albany College (now Lewis & Clark College) in 1912, and in 1917 obtained a [...]

Billy Tipton 1914-1989 William Lee Tipton was an American jazz musician, bandleader, and talent broker. For decades, Tipton assumed a male gender identity. Tipton’s female birth sex was not publicly revealed until after his death, and the revelation came as a surprise to family and friends. Tipton grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, where he [...]

Louis Graydon Sullivan 1951-1991 Louis Graydon Sullivan was an American author and activist known for his work on behalf of trans men. He was perhaps the first transgender man to publicly identify as a gay man and is largely responsible for the modern understanding of sexual orientation and gender identity as distinct, unrelated concepts. Sullivan [...]

Lili Elbe 1882(?)- 1931 Lili Ilse Elvenes, better known as Lili Elbe, was a Danish transgender woman and among the early recipients of gender confirmation surgery. Elbe was a successful painter under her male name. During this time she also presented as Lili (sometimes spelled Lily). After successfully transitioning in 1930, she changed her legal [...]

Freddie Mercury 1946-1991 Freddie Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara, was a British singer, songwriter, record producer, and lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. Regarded as one of the greatest lead singers in the history of rock music, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and four-octave vocal range. Born in Zanzibar to Parsi parents [...]