“I thought about how many preconceived prejudices would crumble when i trotted right along for 26 miles.”

~ Roberta “Bobbi” Gibb

In 1966, 23-year-old Roberta “Bobbi” Gibb became the first woman to complete the 26.2 mile Boston Marathon. It was unimaginable for her to achieve what she did — at least according to the social standards of the day. By doing so, she helped to open the door for future generations of women who wanted to participate in organized sports.

Gibb was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on November 2, 1942. By every account, she was born to run, having fallen…

“Word got out that there was this kind of wacko woman in Hot Springs who wasn’t afraid… I was their hospice. Their gay friends were their hospice. Their companions were their hospice.”

~ Ruth Coker Burks

In the early 1980s, fear surrounding the nascent AIDS epidemic ostracized a community and tore families apart. During its early years, the disease was considered deadly, viral, and highly contagious. Even a rumor that someone had HIV could cause their friends to shun them. Gay men and drug users suffered the brunt of societal scorn. …

“When an individual is protesting society’s refusal to acknowledge his dignity as a human being, his very act of protest confers dignity on him.” ~ Bayard Rustin

Bayard Rustin dedicated his life to serving those searching for equality. Due to his Quaker background, he was driven to stand up against injustice. As a teenager, this meant sitting in the ‘whites-only’ section of the movie theater. When he was a young man, it meant helping Japanese-Americans secure their belongings before being sent to Internment Camps during World War II.

Later, he was one of the principal architects of the American Civil…

“He pulled out bullets, patched gaping wounds, and dispensed blood plasma. He amputated a right foot. When he thought he could do no more, he resuscitated four drowning men. Thirty hours after he set his boots on Omaha Beach, Woody Woodson collapsed.” ~ Linda Hervieux (author) — Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-Day’s Black Heroes, at Home and at War

Nearly a million black soldiers served the United States bravely in World War II. They received only seven of 473 Medals of Honor awarded to soldiers for their efforts during World War II. One of the many deserving names missing…

“I am indeed willing to acknowledge what I have done, an error and presumption. I will call it an error and presumption because I swerved from the accustomed flowery path of female delicacy, to walk upon the heroic precipice of feminine perdition!” ~ Deborah Samson

The life of Deborah Samson was one of equal parts courage, mystique, and embellishment. She was born in abject poverty and all but abandoned by both of her parents by the time she was five years old. Deborah took fate into her own hands, learning skills frowned upon by Puritan values and eventually serving on…

“We have to be visible. We should not be ashamed of who we are.”

— Marsha P. Johnson

The outside world considered gay, African American, gender non-conforming Marsha P. Johnson to be little more than a sub-culture, within a sub-culture, within a sub-culture. However, their marginalization of her existence with labels cannot diminish her efforts on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community. To them, the happy-go-lucky, full-of-life drag queen was a hero, one that rose from anonymity to worldwide fame.

Marsha P. Johnson was born Malcolm Michaels Jr. on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to Malcolm Michaels Sr. and…

“Nature made a mistake, which I have corrected.” — Christine Jorgensen

Christine Jorgensen left the United States for Europe after WWII, known to her family and friends as a shy, effeminate 24-year-old young man. She returned two years later as a confident, headstrong 26-year-old female.

She became an author, actress, singer, and nightclub performer who later toured talk shows and college campuses to speak about her life. Her hope was to help others deal with the same philosophical experiences she had faced.

Christine was born on May 30, 1926, in Bronx, New York, to George W. Jorgensen Sr, and Florence…

“If I had to name a person who has done more for the benefit of human health, with less recognition than anyone else, it would be Maurice Hilleman. Maurice should be recognized as the most successful vaccinologist in history.” ~ Robert Gallo (Co-Discoverer of the AIDS Virus)

Maurice Hilleman came from humble beginnings to have an incredible impact on human medicine. He developed 40 innovative vaccines throughout his lifetime, which are still used to save millions of lives every year.

He was born on August 30, 1919, on a farm in Custer County, Montana. He was the eighth child of…