By JAMES MICHAELS
LGBT History Month has ended celebrating the lives and contributions made by 31 (one for each day in October) members of the LGBT community and/or the community’s biggest friends. LGBT History Month, which was first celebrated in 1994, is a month-long annual observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, and the history of the gay rights and the related civil rights movements. October was chosen because the month also includes National Coming Out Day which is observed on October 11.
This year, LGBT History Month celebrated the lives and contributions of the following individuals as chosen by the Equality Forum:
1. Kye Allums – is the first openly transgender athlete to play NCAA Division I college basketball. Kye identified as a male from childhood and described himself as being a tomboy. He underwent gender reassignment surgery while on a women’s college basketball scholarship, risking that scholarship.
2. John Ashbery – one of the most successful poets of the 20th century who has won almost every major literary awards including a Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1975. He has published over twenty books of poetry.
3. Alison Bechdel – is the creator of the long-running comic strip, “Dykes to Watch Out For.” With her signature subtle wit, Bechdel took on the complex and often stereotyped world of lesbian relationships through her comic alter ego, “Mo.” The strip has become a cult classic.
4. John Berry – the director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). He is the highest-ranking openly gay federal employee in U.S. history. In 2009, President Obama appointed Berry to his current position where he is responsible for recruiting, hiring and benefits policies for 1.9 million federal employees.
5. Dustin Lance Black – is a screenwriter, director and producer who, in 2009, received an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for “Milk.” Black’s recent works include the screenplay for “Pedro,” profiling AIDS activist and MTV personality Pedro Zamora. Black topped Advocate’s list of the “Forty Under-40” most influential openly gay people.
6. Keith Boykin – a political commentator, a New York Times best-selling author and a veteran of two presidential campaigns. He is the editor of The Daily Voice and has appeared on CNN, MSNBC and BET.
7. Rita Mae Brown – is an author and screenwriter, best known for her semi-autobiographical lesbian-themed novel, “Rubyfruit Jungle,” which sold over 70,000 copies and made her a champion of lesbian rights. The book’s success encouraged her to author more than 50 additional lesbian novels.
8. Lt. Dan Choi – was the nation’s leading activist for the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” He is a West Point graduate, Iraq War veteran and Arabic linguist. In 2009, Choi appeared on the MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” and said something that would change his life forever: “I am gay.” Within a month, the U.S. Army notified him that he was being discharged under DADT. After writing to the president, Choi became the leading activist and the most recognizable name and face for the repeal of DADT.
9. Aaron Copland – a world-renowned composer, teacher, writer and conductor. He was a key figure in forming the early 20th century American-style of music and composition.
10. Alan Cumming – an award-winning film, television and stage actor. In 1998, Entertainment Weekly named Cumming one of the 100 Most Creative People in the World. In 2008, he received the Trevor Hero Award from The Trevor Project for being “a true role model for gay and questioning youth through his spectacular and highly successful career.”
11. Denise Eger – is one of the first openly gay rabbis and served as rabbi for the world’s first gay and lesbian synagogue. The National Women’s Political Caucus named her one of its 12 Remarkable Women in 2010. The Human Rights Campaign presented her with the Community Equality Award in 2011.
12. Lady Gaga – is a world-famous singer. She is best known for her chart-topping singles and outrageous costumes. In 2010, Time magazine named her Most Influential Artist and, in 2011, Forbes listed her among its World’s Most Powerful. Openly bisexual, Lady Gaga is an outspoken LGBT equality advocate. She spoke at the 2009 National Equality March in Washington, D.C., calling it “the single most important event” of her career. She was a leading activist for the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
13. Michael Guest – the first openly gay Senate-confirmed U.S. ambassador. He was nominated by George W. Bush. After serving for 26 years, Guest resigned from the State Department due to its discriminatory policies toward same-sex couples. Guest worked to end the State Department’s denial of benefits for same-sex partners. In his farewell speech, he expressed disappointment with the continued discrimination. Guest is now the senior advisor and cofounder of the Council for Global Equality.
14. Neil Patrick Harris – an award-winning television, film and stage actor. At the age of 16, he began his television career landing the leading role in “Doogie Houser, M.D” which earned him a Golden Globe nomination as well as a People’s Choice Award. In 2005, Harris joined the television series “How I Met Your Mother” in which he received four consecutive Emmy Award nominations. In 2010, he was named one of the 100 Most Influential People by Time Magazine.
15. Daniel Hernandez, Jr. – is a University of Arizona student and congressional intern who earned national recognition when he saved the life of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in January of this year. President Obama acknowledged him for his heroism. Hernandez is an openly gay member of Tuscon’s City Commission on GLBT Issues. Equality Forum presented Hernandez with the 2011 National Hero Award.
16. Langston Hughes – is a celebrated poet and novelist and is one of the most significant voices to emerge from the Harlem Renaissance. A major contributor to American literature, his legacy includes 25 published works. Like most artists of his time, Hughes was not open about his sexuality. Literary scholars point to “Montage of a Dream Deferred,” “Desire,” “Young Sailor” and “Tell Me” as gay-themed works.
17. Frida Kahlo – a renowned Mexican painter, noted for her vibrant colors as well as nationalist and feminist themes. Her paintings have commanded higher prices than any other female artist. After her death, her work continued to grow in popularity. In 2001, her face graced a US postage stamp. In 2002, her life was made into the Academy Award-winning movie “Frida.”
18. David Kato – the founder of Uganda’s LGBT civil rights movement. He was an outspoken advocate for equality in a country with some of the harshest anti-gay laws. His murder in 2011 brought global attention to the plight of LGBT people in Uganda and Africa.
19. Michael Kirby – is a former justice of the High Court of Australia. He is the world’s first openly gay justice of a national supreme court. When he retired, he was Australia’s longest-serving judge. A pioneering AIDS activist, Kirby served on the World Health Organization’s Global Commission on AIDS and the United Nations Global Commission on HIV and the Law. In
2011, his biography, “Michael Kirby: Paradoxes/Principles,” was published.
20. Victoria Kolakowski – is the first openly transgender person to be elected a trial judge in the United States. In 2010, Kolakowski campaigned for a judgeship on the Superior Court of Alameda County, California. She won by 10,000 votes. Her victory was significant, not only for the transgender community, but also for women, who occupy a small percentage of judgeships.
21. Dave Kopay – in 1975, he became the first NFL payer and one of the first professional athletes to publicly announce his homosexuality. His autobiography, now in its fifth printing, was a New York Times best seller. Kopay is one of the founding Gay Games Ambassadors, and has been present to support participating athletes and artists at every edition of the Games.
22. Ricky Martin – a Grammy Award-winning pop singer. A professional entertainer since childhood, Martin has sold more than 60 million albums. In 1999, he released his first English-language recording which sold 22 million copies and launched the No. 1 hit single “Livin’ La Vida Loca.”
23. Amélie Mauresmo – was the world’s number one tennis player. She won 25 career titles including two Grand Slams. In 1999, two years into her professional career, Mauresmo came out during the Australian Open. She publicly embraced her girlfriend after defeating the then-world number one player, Lindsay Davenport. She is the first tennis player to come out without losing any major sponsors.
24. Constance McMillen – became an LGBT rights advocate after asking permission to bring her girlfriend to the prom. When her school responded by cancelling the prom, McMillen took legal action. The ACLU filed a lawsuit requesting that the court order the school to hold an inclusive prom. The Itawamba County, Mississippi School District consented to a judgment in which it paid McMillen $35,000 and $81,000 in attorneys’ fees. The school district agreed to implement policies that would prevent future discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity for extracurricular and educational activities.
25. Ryan Murphy – is a writer, film and television director and producer, known for creating the television shows “Nip/Tuck” and “Glee.” He won his first Emmy for directing the pilot episode of “Glee,” while the show received a record nineteen nominations, winning in four categories. Murphy also won a Golden Globe for creating the show “Nip/Tuck.”
26. Dan Savage – is an American author, media pundit, journalist and newspaper editor. Savage writes the internationally-syndicated relationship and sex advice column, “Savage Love.” In 2010, Savage and his husband, Terry Miller began the “It Gets Better Project” to help prevent suicide among LGBT youth.
27. Amanda Simpson – is the Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the United States Army. She was the first openly transgender woman political appointee in any administration. Simpson works in the United States Department of Defense. Simpson served as a commissioner on the City of Tucson Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Commission from 2001 until 2008, representing Councilwoman Carol West.
28. Wanda Sykes – is a writer, stand-up comedian, actress, and voice artist. She earned the 1999 Emmy Award for her writing on “The Chris Rock Show.” In 2004, Entertainment Weekly named Sykes as one of the 25 funniest people in America.
29. Lilli Vincenz – in the early ‘60s, joined the Mattachine Society of Washington, D.C. and eventually became one of the group’s leaders. Her personality made her an inspiration to both lesbian women and gay men. She participated in every gay and lesbian rights picket in Washington, DC.
30. Virginia Woolf – was an English author, essayist, publisher, and writer of short stories, regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century. Her most famous works include the novels “Mrs. Dalloway” (1925), “To the Lighthouse” (1927) and “Orlando” (1928) and the book-length essay “A Room of One’s Own” (1929), with its famous dictum, “A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.”
31. Pedro Zamora – was an AIDS educator and television personality. Zamora, who was openly gay and publicly discussed being HIV-positive, brought international attention to HIV/AIDS and LGBT issues and prejudices through his appearance on MTV’s 1993 reality television series, “The Real World: San Francisco.” President Bill Clinton credited Zamora with personalizing and humanizing those living with HIV, especially to Latino communities, with his activism, including his testimony before Congress. Zamora died on November 11, 1994, the day after the final episode of “The Real World: San Francisco” aired.
