Pride & Color! Kontrol Celebrates LGBT History Month!

LGBT History Month is upon us, and it is time you learn a little more about the brave people who too “Kontrol” of their lives, and made the world better for LGBT worldwide.

LGBT History Month began in 1994, being started by Missouri high school teacher, Rodney Wilson.

Since then it has been observed annually and is even observed in countries like Canada and Australia. It is now taught as part of basic historical ciriculum in many states.

True Colors nEditorial Ft Model John James | @johnjamesatl Shot By Blair Devereaux | @pbd

Kontrol Magazine takes true pride in the contributions of members of the LGBT community, and would like to note a ten LGBT people of color whose lives were dedicated to civil rights and gay liberation.

Bayard Rustin

-Bayard Rustin was a member of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s inner circle during the Civil Rights Movement, organizing the historic March On Washington. Bayard was also an advocate of gay rights believing minorities could succeed in America based on their own individual merits.

Marsha P. Johnson

-Marsha P. Johnson was a gay activist and self-identified drag queen who participated in the Stonewall Rebellion, considered the birth of the gay rights movement. There, members of New York City’s LGBT community banded together to fight police harassment and brutality. Marsha later worked at the forefront of transgender rights.

James Baldwin

-James Baldwin is an American author and gay rights activist who spoke on the conflicting dichotomy of being Black and American as well as being gay. His novel, Giovanni’s Room, which showcased the shame man LGBT people feel of their identities and relationships. His work led to further Black studies on race, politics, and queerness.

-Sylvia Rivera was a Latina transgender activist and a founding mother of the gay liberation movement. She created safe spaces for transgender people and sex workers, and operated as a community worker to improve the lives of NYC’s homeless population.

Audre Lorde

-Audre Lorde was a self-described lesbian, author, mother, and poet who wrote about the intersectionality of race, gender, sexuality, and class. Her most greatest work includes “Sister Outsider,” a collection of her essays and speeches, and the semi-autobiographical “Zami: A New Spelling of My Name.”

We are honored to know of these amazing people. Check out a special video we created in honor of LGBT History Month below! Happy viewing!