A Woman to Know: Brenda Howard
The next time someone asks you why LGBT Pride Marches exist or why June is Pride Month, say 'A bisexual woman named Brenda Howard thought it should be.' — Tom Limoncelli
(image via The Advocate)
In 1970, Brenda Howard organized the Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade. The year before, the Stonewall Riots had rocked the New York LGBT community and energized the gay rights movement -- Brenda wanted to commemorate the historic moment with a march that was part celebration, part activism. That's pretty much what Brenda's entire career became, actually. As one of the most visible bisexual leaders of the 1970s, she pioneered the gay pride movement (her 2005 obituary dubber her "The Mother of Pride") and advocated for bisexual women's rights and LGBT equality. "She was an in-your-face activist," her husband remembered. "She fought for anyone."
That original Christopher Street Parade became today's entire month of gay pride celebration. This weekend, the party kicks off in Washington, DC, to celebrate all letters in LGBTQIA.
Add to your library list:
History of Bisexual Women in America (Susan Milton)
Read more:
Remembering Brenda: an ode to the "Mother of Pride" (The Advocate)
Brenda Howard: Bisexual Curmudgeon and Mother of Pride (Autostraddle)
From Brenda Howard to J. Christopher Neal: Bisexual Leaders (The Human Rights Campaign)
Brenda Howard: A Long History of Activism (Gay City News)
President Obama proclaims June as national Pride month (The National Women's History Museum)
Pride founding mother Brenda Howard's service announced (Bilerico)
Bisexuals still trying to find their place within the LGBT family (The San Antonio Current)
LGBT women inspire the future (The Trevor Project)
Summer of '77: The Last Hurrah (Joe Kennedy)
See more:
After Stonewall: The First Ever Pride Parades in Vintage Photos (Brain Pickings)
Bisexual Pioneer Brenda Howard's husband celebrates her with #stillbisexual campaign (Pride)
*~ Thank you to Rea Carey for suggestion Brenda as a woman to know! Send your recommendations for women to know! Reply to this newsletter with your lady and she could be featured in an upcoming edition.~* You can browse the archive on Tumblr.