Use your TCCL card to learn more about these important LGBTQIA+ figures.
Explore LGBT+ book lists and recommendations HERE and educational resources HERE.
Marsha P. Johnson
Marsha P. Johnson was an African-American transgender woman and a fearless activist for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) rights, decades before such terminology was used in mainstream culture. Although she expressed identities ranging from gay to transvestite to drag queen during her life, she is understood in modern terms as a transgender woman. Johnson is remembered for her actions during and immediately following the 1969 Stonewall Inn riots, an event that is considered the most influential catalyst for the gay rights movement worldwide.
The excerpt above is from her biography in Contemporary Black Biography, found in Biography in Context. Access Biography in Context, a free digital resource, at www.tulsalibrary.org/databases, then log in with your last name and TCCL card number to search for Marsha P. Johnson. From there you can explore one of two biographies or another resource like an audio clip or newspaper excerpt.
Click HERE to place a hold on Sylvia and Marsha Start a Revolution by Joy Michael Ellison.
Sylvia Rivera
Famously known for tossing a Molotov cocktail during the 1969 Stonewall Inn riots in New York City, Hispanic-American transgender activist Sylvia Rivera (1951-2002) devoted her life to the gay, lesbian, and transgender liberation movements.
Rivera was one of the United States' first visible transgender activists. After taking part in the Stonewall Inn riots, which touched off the modern gay-rights movement, Rivera helped found the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance. Despite her devotion to and work for gay rights, she often found herself marginalized by the gay-rights agenda as activists sought to "mainstream" the movement. Many gay-rights historians credit Rivera with keeping trans inequity issues in the limelight and putting the "T" in the acronym LGBTQ.
The excerpt above is from her biography in Encyclopedia of World Biography Online, found in Biography in Context. Access Biography in Context, a free digital resource, at www.tulsalibrary.org/databases, then log in with your last name and TCCL card number to search for Sylvia Rivera.
Click HERE to place a hold on Sylvia and Marsha Start a Revolution by Joy Michael Ellison.
Harvey Milk
Harvey Milk was a caring, hard working man, devoted to the people he represented. He symbolized the strength of the gay and lesbian community in the face of political opposition. His greatest message was one of hope for the gay community in the face of adversity. While he made many contributions and impetus to the gay rights movement in the 1970s, his life was tragically ended by an assassin.
The excerpt above is from her biography in Gay & Lesbian Biography, found in Biography in Context. Access Biography in Context, a free digital resource, at www.tulsalibrary.org/databases, then log in with your last name and TCCL card number to search for Harvey Milk.
Find more information about Harvey Milk by searching for his name in the eLibrary resource, available at www.tulsalibrary.org/databases.
Click HERE to check out or place a hold on the children's book about Harvey Milk
Helen Zia
A second generation Chinese American who is an activist and journalist, Helen Zia (born 1952) advocated against racism and hate crimes that affected the Asian American community.
In many ways, Helen Zia's activist work has served to strengthen and build coalitions among various Asian American cultural backgrounds. She was a leading voice in protesting and organizing Asian Americans after Vincent Chin, a Chinese American, was killed in 1982 after a racially motivated bar fight. Zia's activism has included fighting hate crimes, organizing for battered Asian American women, and speaking out against ethno-rape, or rape that is motivated by racial bias. Additionally, she has advocated for gay and lesbian rights. Zia also served as a journalist, holding editor positions at Ms. magazine and publishing work in a variety of national newspapers and periodicals.
The excerpt above is from her biography in Encyclopedia of World Biography Online, found in Biography in Context. Access Biography in Context, a free digital resource, at www.tulsalibrary.org/databases, then log in with your last name and TCCL card number to search for Helen Zia.
Find more information about Helen Zia by searching for her name in the eLibrary resource, available at www.tulsalibrary.org/databases.
Click HERE to check out or place a hold on Asian American Dreams: The Emergency of an American People by Helen Zia.
Essex Hemphill
Noted for his candid, impassioned work, Essex Hemphill, an African American poet, essayist, editor, and gay activist has become one of the best known black gay authors since James Baldwin. A recipient of fellowships in literature from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the D.C. Commission for the Arts, Hemphill has published three books of poetry and has had his poems included in several anthologies. In addition, his poetry has been used in some films and documentaries. He has also edited Brother to Brother, a compilation of writings by black gay men--only the second of its kind to be published in the United country.
The excerpt above is from his biography in Contemporary Black Biography, found in Biography in Context. Access Biography in Context, a free digital resource, at www.tulsalibrary.org/databases, then log in with your last name and TCCL card number to search for Essex Hemphill.
Find more information about Essex Hemphill by searching for his name in the eLibrary resource, available at www.tulsalibrary.org/databases.
Click HERE to check out or place a hold on Brother to Brother, edited by Essex Hemphill.
Alvin Ailey
A pioneer in modern dance, Alvin Ailey founded the racially–integrated and popular modern dance troupe, the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre. His was the first black dance company sent abroad under the International Exchange Program in 1962, the first American modern dance company to perform in the Soviet Union since the 1920s, the first black modern dance company to perform at the Metropolitan Opera, and the first modern dance company sponsored by the U.S. government to tour the People's Republic of China since Sino–American relations were strengthened. Revelations, his signature dance piece, drew upon African American religious music he knew in his childhood. Revelations is also the title of his frank autobiography in which he spoke openly of his life, his search for identity, and his homosexuality.
The excerpt above is from his biography in Gay & Lesbian Biography, found in Biography in Context. Access Biography in Context, a free digital resource, at www.tulsalibrary.org/databases, then log in with your last name and TCCL card number to search for Alvin Ailey.
Click HERE to browse books and movies by and about Alvin Ailey.
Christine Jorgensen
The first internationally known transsexual personality of the twentieth century, Christine Jorgensen was not only a pioneer in the field of sex reassignment surgery, but she provided an unprecedented example for the thousands of gender dysphoric individuals who followed in her footsteps.
The excerpt above is from her biography in Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History in America, found in Biography in Context. Access Biography in Context, a free digital resource, at www.tulsalibrary.org/databases, then log in with your last name and TCCL card number to search for Christine Jorgensen.
Find more information about Christine Jorgensen by searching for her name in the eLibrary resource, available at www.tulsalibrary.org/databases.