‘Tis the Month to Celebrate LGBTQ+ Black History-Makers

By N. Jamiyla Chisholm Feb 14, 2020

Black LGBTQ+ folks have been breaking historical and cultural ground since forever, but many of their names—like Richard Bruce Nugent (Harlem Renaissance writer, 1906-1987) and Stormé DeLarverie (entertainer and activist, 1920-2014)—may not be familiar to many. This Black History Month, NBC News seeks to make the names of some of these queer pioneers known with its "17 LGBTQ Black Pioneers Who Made History" list. Published on February 13, it highlights the contributions of people like James Baldwin, Alvin Ailey, Marsha P. JohnsonAudre Lorde, Ernestine Eckstein and Ron Oden.

"As long as there have been Black people, there have been Black LGBTQ and same-gender-loving people," executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition David J. Johns, told NBC News. "Racism combined with the forces of stigma, phobia, discrimination and bias associated with gender and sexuality have too often erased the contributions of members of our community."

To see the list of trailblazers, visit NBC News.