Phill Wilson is an activist who founded the nation’s first organization dedicated to preventing the spread of AIDS and HIV in Black communities.

Activist and organizer Morris Kight was a founding father of the gay rights movement and a leader in Southern California’s gay rights movement.

Irene Soloway was a lesbian carpenter who fought for women in the trades and worked to make unions more inclusive.

Ashton Mota is a Latinx transgender activist navigating the intersections of multiple marginalized identities.

Former U.S. Ambassador James Hormel dedicated his life to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic and fighting HIV-related stigma.

Jennicet Gutiérrez is a transgender activist fighting for the rights of trans women in immigration detention centers.

Frank Kameny was fired from his government job for being gay in 1957; he devoted the rest of his life fighting for gay rights.

Joni Christian is a transgender rights activist who won better working conditions for LGBTQ+ people — with the help of her union.

Herb Donaldson pushed back on systemic homophobia in San Francisco and helped in usher in a new area of gay rights.

Kim Coco Iwamoto is a transgender politician and activist who fights for universal healthcare, affordable housing, and economic justice.

Bayard Rustin played a critical role in the Civil Rights Movement who turned his activism toward fighting for LGBTQ rights.

Lyon and Martin helped form the nation’s first lesbian rights group; 50 years later they would be the first couple to be married in San Francisco.