1. Barbara Gittings
Born in 1932, Gittings is seen by many as the mother of the LGBT rights movement. In the 1950s, she started the New York chapter of the first lesbian rights organization in the United States, called the Daughters of Bilitis. Working with another activist, Frank Kameny, they organized some of the first public demonstrations for gay and lesbian equality. The protests, which started in 1965 and highlighted the ban of gay people from working in the U.S. government, were held in front of Independence Hall each Fourth of July for 4 years and helped lead to the Stonewall Riot in 1969. The next year, instead of a protest, Gittings and Kameny helped organize a march honoring the anniversary of Stonewall. This walk is seen by many as the first NYC Pride Parade.
Barbara Gittings also worked with the American Library Association to bring more positive literature about homosexuality into all libraries and with the American Psychiatric Association to make homosexuality no longer considered a mental illness, which was changed in 1972. She spent her whole life trying to reverse the negative stigmas surrounding homosexuality, and is remembered for her great efforts and accomplishments.