Frida was born in Mexico to a German father and Mexican mother on July 6, 1907 She contracted polio at age six and at 10 had spina bifida, which was a disease that affected leg and spine development. This isolated her from other children and caused her not to build many friendships. Her father encouraged her to play sports like soccer, swimming, and wrestling. All of which were unusual for girls at that time. Many years later, Frida was on a bus in Mexico City and involved in a life-altering accident. The bus crashed into a streetcar and a handrail impaled Frida. During recovery, Frida would often paint or sketch to pass time or keep her mind off the pain. She continued to paint and finished her first self-portrait later that year. Her Dad encouraged her to keep practicing and perfecting her art skills. Frida regained some mobility and began her career as an artist. Frida admired Diego Rivera, and in 1928 the two began a relationship. Diego also encouraged her work. They often traveled the world to show their work. Frida has had her work presented in San Francisco, Paris, and more. Their marriage wasn’t the most typical, and as they both lived separately on occasions or were with other people, she was often with both men and women. She is known, to this day, for her fearlessness and her talent.
(1951-2002)
The Forgotten Leader
Sylvia Rivera was an LGBTQ+ activist in the 1960s. She advocated for transgender rights in the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act that existed in New York. Sylvia was present during the Stonewall Rebellion. Sylvia spent most of her life alone on the streets of New York. She was constantly surrounded by drugs and violence. Living on the streets gave Sylvia, insight to the gay community and police brutality. She was really focused on the inclusion of people who were stereotypical people in the community. People who were poor, people of color, etc. Sylvia gave up everything for Gay Rights. She went to jail and was homeless because of her support for her cause. Today, because of her work people who are Transgender are now recognized in the LGBTQ+ community.
(1962-)
"I didn't run to make history"
Tammy Baldwin is the first openly lesbian US Senator. Tammy was born in Madison, Wisconsin on February 11, 1947. When she was young, she became sick with an illness like meningitis. She lived with her grandparents who had health insurance but it didn’t cover her. Her grandparents had to pay much more for her healthcare. As Tammy got older, her grandparents didn’t find a health care provider for her because of her childhood illness. In high school, Tammy was Valedictorian and went to Smith College. Tammy went on to University of Wisconsin Law School. She also became her grandparents’ caregivers and this shaped the way she does public service. Her first experience in office was when she elected to Dane County Board of supervisors. Also, in 1992 Tammy was elected as a State representative in the Wisconsin State Assembly for three terms. In 1998, she was elected to Wisconsin’s 2nd congressional Tammy now has the highest seniority in Senators. Tammy is strong believer in affordable healthcare, LGBTQ rights, investing in the economy.
(1934-1992)
Activism and Emotion through Poetry
Audre Lorde was born in New York City to parents of West Indian descent. Lorde was interested in poetry as a teenager. Audre started to communicate through poetry and would often recite poetry in everyday conversations. If there wasn’t a poem that didn’t describe her feelings, she would just write her own.Her first poem was published in Seventeen magazine. She went to Hunter College and Columbia University. During college, she openly explored her sexuality and identified herself as lesbian. After college, she was isolated from her parents.
She often wrote about racial justice issues, feminism, and her sexual orientation. Her writing was her own form of protest against injustices in America. Also, Lorde wrote about her relationships with her mother and father. Audre also criticized many feminist groups because she thought they were talking about white, middle class experiences. She was diagnosed with cancer and wrote about her struggles with cancer. She eventually died because of cancer in 1992.
(1968-)
Leading the way to Equality
Kim Coco Iwamoto is the highest elected transgender official. She was born in Hawaii on the island of Kauai to parents of Japanese descent. Her father’s family owned may transportation related businesses in Hawaii. Her mother named her “Coco” because she went into labor at the Coco Palms Resort. She has done a lot of volunteer work and started with her mother at a young age. Kim graduated from St. Louis High School and went on to graduate from FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology). She then got an undergraduate degree from San Francisco State University and got her J.D from New Mexico school of Law. Today Kim is commissioner on the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission.
(1947-)
A Judge to end bias
Deborah Batts is the first openly Lesbian, African-American federal judge. She was born in Philadelphia, started college at Radcliffe to study Government, and later moved on to go to Harvard. After college, she became a clerk for the U.S District of New York. Deborah continued to work for the district and later became a professor of law at Fordham University School of Law. From 1990-91, Deborah counseled the New York Department of Investigation. She was first nominated by George Bush but he was unsuccessful. Batts was nominated by President Bill Clinton to take the Southern District seat She was confirmed on May 5, 1994. In 2001, Harvard honored Batts by displaying her portrait. Deborah is also on the board of trustees at Radcliffe. She is now a Senior U.S. District Judge.
