This Pride Month, we celebrate the revolutionary power of love—and reflect on the long and continuing fight for equal rights. We’re sharing powerful, inspiring, and insightful words from just a few LGBTQ+ trailblazers remind us of the power in community, advocacy, self-love, and pride. Their words serve as a powerful reminder that we have the power—and the responsibility—to create a better, more loving world for everyone.
“It is not our difference that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.”
A celebrated writer and poet and advocate for women’s civil, and LGBTQ+ rights, Audre Lorde was a visionary thinker who refused to be bound by the prejudices of her time. Through her poetry and essays, she gave voice to the challenges facing black women and called on us all to embrace our differences. Let her words inspire you to create a society where people of all backgrounds feel seen, heard and valued. Celebrate the revolutionary power of this wisdom and let it motivate you to advocate for voices marginalized in your own community.
“We are all we have. We have to fight for each other.”
A transgender rights pioneer and community leader for more than 50 years, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy has been on the front lines fighting for the rights of transgender people. Her lifetime of advocacy has changed laws and saved lives. She reminds us that the only way we can build a just world is by supporting each other. Let her enduring courage inspire you to stand up for equality and motivate you to be an ally to trans people in your own life.
“To name oneself is the fisrt act of both the poet and the revolutionary.”
A playwright, poet, and activist for LGBTQ+ and Chicana rights, Cherríe Moraga used poetry as a revolutionary act to champion voices that had long been silenced. Her work explored the intersection of queer, Chicana and feminist identities at a time when society told women they could only choose one. Moraga’s wisdom inspires us to celebrate every aspect of who we are—and motivates us to fight for a world where others can do the same. Let her words empower you to live authentically and advocate for the marginalized.
“Equality means more than passing laws. The struggle is really won in the hearts and minds of the community, where it really counts.”
A pioneering organizer and activist for gay and lesbian rights, Barbara Gittings dedicated her life to winning the hearts and minds of America at a time when being gay was considered shameful and criminal. Thanks to her pioneering work, the LGBT community gained visibility and voice. She inspires us to lead with empathy and compassion to build understanding between all groups.
“I’m not missing a minute of this. It’s the revolution!”
A transgender activist and Stonewall uprising icon, Sylvia Rivera put her life on the line as a key figure in the Stonewall uprising and never stopped fighting for the rights of transgender people. Her passion and fearlessness in the face of violence, discrimination and indifference cannot fail to motivate us to stand up for justice and equality. We honor her by continuing the revolution and building a society where people of all gender identities feel safe, accepted and empowered.
“The things that make us different, those are our superpowers.”
An award-winning actress, screenwriter and producer, Lena Waithe is an outspoken advocate who proves that embracing our differences is the surest path to overcoming obstacles. Her work brings nuanced, powerful portrayals of black and LGBTQ+ characters into mainstream media. She inspires us to accept ourselves fully so we can achieve our dreams and create positive change.
“I change myself, I change the world.”
A scholar, feminist theorist, and queer Chicana writer, Gloria Anzaldúa called on us to get to know the borderlands: to embrace the space between binaries and boxes that society puts us in. Her writing wove together feminism, race, sexuality and spirituality at a time when these topics were usually kept separate. She inspires us to manifest the change we want to see by becoming our full, authentic selves.
“We can climb mountains with self-love.”
An award-winning actress and outspoken advocate, Samira Wiley proves that embracing who we are is the surest path to overcoming obstacles. Her work brings nuanced, powerful portrayals of LGBTQ+ characters into mainstream media. She inspires us to accept ourselves fully so we can achieve our dreams and create positive change.
Let these words—and the words of so many other pioneering women and amazing people of all genders fighting for love, inclusion, and justice—be our guide. The work continues.
