5 LGBTQ Women Who Changed History

Throughout history, LGBTQ women leaders have played powerful roles in advancing equality, building communities, and inspiring movements for justice. Their courage has challenged discrimination, expanded human rights, and opened doors for future generations.

On International Women’s Day and throughout Women’s History Month, South Carolina Equality celebrates the LGBTQ women whose leadership helped shape a more inclusive world. From grassroots activists to groundbreaking public officials, these women helped move the fight for LGBTQ equality forward.

1. Marsha P. Johnson

Marsha P. Johnson was a trailblazing activist whose leadership during the Stonewall Uprising helped spark the modern LGBTQ rights movement. Johnson devoted her life to supporting marginalized members of the community, particularly transgender people and LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness.

Today, Johnson is widely recognized as one of the most influential LGBTQ activists in history. Her legacy continues to inspire movements for dignity, equality, and community care.

2. Sylvia Rivera

Sylvia Rivera was a pioneering advocate for transgender rights and LGBTQ equality. A close collaborator of Johnson, Rivera fought tirelessly to ensure that the LGBTQ movement included transgender people and those experiencing poverty or homelessness.

Rivera co-founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), an organization that provided housing and support for LGBTQ youth who had been rejected by their families. Her work helped expand the movement’s commitment to justice and inclusion.

3. Audre Lorde

Audre Lorde was a Black lesbian poet, writer, and civil rights activist whose work explored identity, justice, and the power of speaking truth. Through essays, poetry, and speeches,

Lorde helped shape conversations about intersectionality, race, gender, and sexuality.

Her writing continues to influence movements for racial justice, women’s equality, and LGBTQ rights around the world.

4. Tammy Baldwin

Tammy Baldwin made history in 2012 as the first openly LGBTQ person elected to the United States Senate. Her election represented a major milestone for LGBTQ representation in government and demonstrated how far the movement for equality has progressed.

Baldwin’s leadership shows young LGBTQ people that they belong in every space where decisions are made—including public service.

5. Phyll Opoku-Gyimah

Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, widely known as Lady Phyll, is a global leader in LGBTQ advocacy and the co-founder of UK Black Pride, one of the world’s largest celebrations of LGBTQ people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Latin American, and Middle Eastern descent.

Her work has helped elevate conversations about intersectionality, representation, and global LGBTQ rights, inspiring communities across the world.

Why LGBTQ Women’s Leadership Matters

The courage and leadership of these women remind us that progress toward equality is never inevitable—it is built by individuals who challenge injustice and imagine a better future.

From grassroots organizing to public leadership, LGBTQ women have helped expand opportunity, visibility, and dignity for millions of people around the world.

At South Carolina Equality, we honor the legacy of these trailblazers and the countless women—past and present—who continue working to build communities where everyone can live openly, safely, and with dignity.

This International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, we celebrate their impact and recommit ourselves to advancing equality and opportunity for LGBTQ people across South Carolina.

Give in Honor of Women's History Month!

LGBTQ Equality in South Carolina

While the leaders we celebrate this International Women’s Day helped shape movements around the world, their legacy continues in communities here at home.

Across South Carolina, LGBTQ individuals and allies are working every day to build more inclusive and supportive communities. Women—especially LGBTQ women—have played a critical role in that progress by organizing communities, mentoring young people, and expanding opportunities for the next generation.

At South Carolina Equality, we are committed to continuing that legacy by supporting programs that strengthen LGBTQ communities, expand access to resources, and help ensure that every person in our state can live openly and with dignity.

From community education to youth support initiatives, the work happening across South Carolina today is part of a broader movement for equality—one built by generations of courageous leaders and sustained by communities who believe in a more inclusive future.

This International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, we celebrate the women who paved the way and recommit ourselves to continuing their work here in South Carolina.