- Throughout history, there are Black LGBTQ figures you should know.
- James Baldwin, Alvin Ailey, and Audre Lorde were influential artists and writers.
- Today, Laverne Cox, RuPaul, Janet Mock, and Lori Lightfoot are important figures.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
History books often leave out the vital roles Black LGBTQ people have played in American history.
From activists to performers, people like James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and Bayard Rustin have paved the way for two marginalized communities. Today, figures like Janet Mock and Lena Waithe have picked up where the others left off.
From the 1920s to today, here are 12 influential Black LGBTQ figures you should know about.
Gladys Bentley was once known as the most popular Black entertainer in the US.
Harlem, New York, experienced a renaissance of culture during the 1920s, introducing some of the most famous Black writers and performers. But history often forgets about Gladys Bentley, a woman who performed as a man in a popular Harlem Prohibition bar. Slowly, Bentley became so popular that she was the best known Black performer in the country and considered "Harlem's most famous lesbian figure," according to The New York Times.
Bentley would sing, dance, and play the piano during her performances while wearing a tuxedo and a hat. Although her music never made it to the radio, celebrities from all over the world would come to watch her performance in Harlem.
James Baldwin is one of the most important and influential American writers.
After growing up in Harlem, New York, Baldwin published his first book, an autobiographical novel titled "Go Tell It on the Mountains" in 1953, which told the story of a teenager living in Harlem. The following year, he published his groundbreaking novel, "Giovanni's Room," which tells the story of a gay American man struggling with his sexuality in Paris.
Throughout the rest of his writing career, Baldwin continued writing books and essays with gay and Black characters.
Read more: 25 inspiring vintage photos of the LGBTQ community
Alvin Ailey was a pioneer in the world of American dance.
After dancing on Broadway, Ailey started his own dance company, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, in 1958 despite being a young dancer himself.
In 1960, he choreographed the highly influential "Revelations," which chronicled the history of African Americans through gospel and jazz music. The show is still considered one of the most influential pieces of modern dance and is still put on today, even at the White House.
Bayard Rustin was an LGBTQ advocate who worked closely with Martin Luther King, Jr.
Bayard began his career in activism alongside Martin Luther King, Jr., teaching the reverend about Gandhi's belief in non-violence and civil disobedience. He is also credited with organizing and planning the famous March on Washington, according to PBS.
As an openly gay man, Bayard often spoke about the importance of fighting for gay rights, and even shifted his focus from civil rights to LGBTQ activism in the '80s.
Marsha P. Johnson played a key role at the historic Stonewall Riots.
Johnson called herself a drag queen and told people the letter "P" in her name stood for "Pay it no mind" when asked about her gender. Despite never officially calling herself transgender, she is largely considered a pioneer in trans activism.
As a "drag mother," Johnson put most of her effort into helping LGBTQ homeless youth in New York City.
Most notably though, Johnson played an important role at the Stonewall Riots. On June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York. According to witnesses, Johnson was one of the first people at the bar to fight back and retaliate, sparking a riot. Many credit Johnson with starting the Gay Rights Movement.
Read more: 11 inspiring stories of LGBTQ teenagers that have moved the internet
Audre Lorde was an influential poet who focused on sexual orientation and race in her work.
Lorde once described herself as a "Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet," according to the Poetry Foundation. Her collections of essays focused on being a queer, Black woman and explored the ideas of feminism.
She used her poetry as a form of activism in that most of her poems called for racial and gender equality without shying away from queer themes and sexuality.
RuPaul has become one of the most recognizable faces of the LGBTQ community.
RuPaul got his start as a club kid in New York City during the '90s, but he broke out into the mainstream with his single "Supermodel (You Better Work)" in 1993. Dressed as a drag queen, RuPaul appeared in movies like "Crooklyn," "The Brady Bunch Movie," and "Blue in the Face."
After falling out of the spotlight, he started a drag queen competition show in 2009 with himself as the host. Slowly, the show picked up steam, becoming one of the most-watched reality shows on TV and earning three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Competition Program. RuPaul helped usher the niche world of drag queens into the mainstream media.
Laverne Cox is the first transgender actress to be nominated for an Emmy.
In 2013, Cox debuted her breakout role as transgender inmate Sophia Burset on Netflix's "Orange Is the New Black." Cox was nominated for three Emmy Awards for her role on the show and was the first openly transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy in an acting category.
Outside of acting, Cox devotes her time to transgender activism.
Read more: 16 transgender celebrities who are changing television
Michael Sam was the first openly gay man to be drafted into the NFL.
Sam made history in 2014 when he came out as gay in an interview with ESPN. When the St. Louis Rams drafted him that same year, he became the first openly gay man to ever be drafted into the NFL.
In 2015, he was let go from the team, and he announced he was retiring from football.
Lena Waithe is making waves as a TV writer, telling Black stories.
Waithe made a name for herself on Netflix's "Master of None," writing the stand-out episode titled "Thanksgiving," in which she plays a woman preparing to come out to her family. In 2017, she earned an Emmy Award for that episode, becoming the first African American woman to ever win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Writing.
Since then, Waithe created the TV series "The Chi" and wrote a film titled "Queen & Slim."
Janet Mock is a transgender trailblazer who works behind the scenes in the TV industry.
Mock made a name for herself, writing two bestselling memoirs titled "Redefining Realness" and "Surpassing Certainty" — both of which chronicles her journey as a transgender woman.
She has since transitioned into the world of television, becoming the first transgender woman of color to write and direct an episode of television on Ryan Murphy's groundbreaking show "Pose." Mock has also directed and produced episodes of Murphy's other show "Hollywood."
Time has named her one of the most influential people in the world.
Lori Lightfoot became the first openly gay mayor of Chicago.
In 2019, Lightfoot won the Chicago mayoral election in a sweeping landslide, earning 74% of the vote despite never holding political office. Her victory made history, as she became the city's first Black female mayor. She also became the city's first openly gay mayor.
Read more: 20 LGBTQ figures you should know
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