Pride:
In the Past and Present
The well-known initialism LGBT has only been in common use since the late 20th century, and has undergone various transformations since then, but members of that community have always existed (you just probably weren’t taught about them growing up). Below are the stories of some trailblazing LGBTQIA+ people from both the past and present, from Ireland and abroad.
(Content Warning: Some of the following biographies contain instances of homophobia, transphobia, Nazism, drug and alcohol abuse, torture, and physical and child abuse which will be hurtful to readers).
Sappho / Archaic Greek Poet
Anne Lister / Diarist / Entrepreneur
Lucy Hicks Anderson / Chef / Socialite
Dorothy Wilde / Socialite / Storyteller
Dorothy Arzner / Hollywood Director
The Sewing Circle / Informal Network of Queer Women in Hollywood
Pat Walker / President of the San Fran branch of the Daughters of Bilitis
Ernestine Eckstein / NAACP Chapter Officer / President of the NY branch of the Daughters of Bilitis
Marsha P. Johnson & Sylvia Rivera / Activists / Co-Founders of STAR
Leslie Feinberg / Writer / Activist
Joni Crone / Playwright / Gay Rights Activist
Dr. Lydia Foy & the long fight for gender recognition
Adiba Jaigirdar / Author
Denise Charlton / CEO of The Community Foundation for Ireland
Rebecca Lively / Mixed Media Artist
Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan / Writer / Performer / Cultural Consultant
Taryn de Vere / Bisexual Fashion Activist / Performance Artist / Writer
Ciara Ní É / Bilingual Performer / Writer / Activist
Sarah R. Philips / Human Rights Advocate / Former Chair of TENI
