Pride Spotlight

Patricia Highsmith (1921 - 1995)

6/12/2026

Author Patricia Highsmith changed the landscape of twentieth‑century literature with psychological thrillers filled with moral complexity. Highsmith’s life was one of contradictions. Despite her stories about people whose desires conflict with shame or social expectation, she remained a private individual, publishing her groundbreaking first novel, The Price of Salt (later Carol), under a pseudonym for fear of exposure. The first American lesbian novel with a hopeful ending rather than one that was sad or tragic, it gave countless LGBTQIA+ readers a sense of possibility. Renowned for psychological thrillers like Strangers on a Train and the Talented Mr. Ripley series, Highsmith also transformed the crime genre with her unflinching portrayals of identity, and the darker corners of human behavior. Her novels have been adapted into dozens of films by such masters as Alfred Hitchcock. cementing her global reach and reshaping how filmmakers tell stories about crime, psychology, and human contradiction.

Gabrielle Union (1972 - ), Dwyane Wade (1982 - ), and Zaya Wade (2007 - )

6/11/2026

Actor Gabrielle Union (she/her) and Athlete Dwyane Wade (he/him) have become two of the most trusted couples supporting LGBTQIA+ youth and their families. Union is an award‑winning actor, bestselling author, and longtime activist whose work has shaped national conversations about race, gender, and survivorship. Wade is a three‑time NBA Champion, a Basketball Hall of Famer, and a respected public figure known for his leadership on and off the court. As parents, they chose openness and love when their daughter Zaya (they/them), a Black transgender young woman, shared who she is. Their steady public support has shown countless families what acceptance can look like. Wade and Zaya have launched Translatable.com to help parents and children to learn together. Zaya is now building a modeling career while speaking out for LGBTQIA+ youth. Through the Wade Family Foundation, the family supports underserved youth, racial justice, and LGBTQIA+ equality — extending their commitment far beyond their own home.

Jon Urquhart (1993 - )

6/10/2026

TikTok sensation and social‑media influencer Jon Urquhart (he/him) has a story that reflects both gay pride and the power of family. Born and raised in Massachusetts, Jon grew up as the child of a Deaf father, an identity that shaped his worldview from the start. Immersed in Deaf culture at home, he became fluent in American Sign Language and eventually built a career as a professional ASL interpreter, including his current work for the state government. But it was online where Urquhart found his true niche. His TikTok videos and Instagram posts that are followed by thousands of subscribers and generating thousands of dollars in revenue have made him a trusted and beloved voice within the Deaf and CODA communities. Online he teaches ASL with clarity and offers practical guidance to those navigating the hearing world Married to Scott Urquhart‑Lewis, Jon openly, comfortably, and often hilariously showcases the ordinariness and joy of everyday life in an LGBTQIA+ household. A staunch advocate, he provides a much‑needed window into Deaf culture while modeling authenticity, pride, and visibility.

Gloria Anzaldúa (1942 - 2004)

6/9/2026

Gloria Anzaldúa (she/her) was a groundbreaking American author, activist‑philosopher, and scholar of Chicana feminism, and cultural theory. Her insights into the mixed cultures that form along borders continue to challenge, inform, and inspire. Anzaldúa’s awareness of marginalization and racial injustice was shaped by her own life as a Tejana, a lesbian, and a woman of color whose family struggled as tenant farmers and sharecroppers in the Rio Grande Valley. Against steep odds, she earned a degree from the University of Texas, becoming a model for those seeking dignity, joy, and belonging. Her most influential book, Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza, blends autobiography, theory, and poetry to explore hybrid identity and resistance. It speaks powerfully to anyone who has ever felt “in‑between” — culturally, linguistically, sexually, or spiritually. Anzaldúa reframed borders not as simple divides but as “terrains we inhabit and that inhabit us.” Her visionary life is honored by the digital National Women’s History Museum, whose biography celebrates her extraordinary accomplishments.

Alexander Chee (1967 - )

6/8/2026

One of the most influential literary voices of the 21st century, award-winning novelist / essayist / educator Alexander Chee (he/him) blends personal history, and political consciousness, into narratives that illuminate what it means to live, love, and resist as a gay person in America. As a Korean American gay writer, Chee has reshaped contemporary literature, exploring identity, grief, the transformative power of art and the importance of bearing witness. He is the author of the acclaimed novels, Edinburgh and The Queen of the Night, while his essay collection, How to Write An Autobiographical Novel has been called a modern classic and was named one of the best nonfiction books of the 21st Century. Beyond the page, Chee is a committed advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights, immigrant communities, and the arts, whose essays have appeared in numerous publications like New York Times, The New Yorker and the New Republic. As Professor of English and Creative Writing at Dartmouth College, he is teaching a new generation of diverse voices that truth is an act of liberation.

Mauree Turner (1992 - )

6/7/2026

Mauree Turner (they/them) represents a historic breakthrough in American public life as the first nonbinary state legislator in U.S. history and the first Muslim lawmaker ever elected in Oklahoma. Turner’s public service is grounded in lived experience: they were raised in an interfaith Baptist–Muslim family that relied on public assistance, and their father’s incarceration shaped their understanding of the legal system. After graduating from Oklahoma State University, Turner became a voice for criminal justice reform, organizing statewide initiatives for the ACLU and serving on the boards of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and GLSEN, a student rights organization. Elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives (2021–2024), Turner consistently spoke truth to power, advocating for equitable representation and criminal justice reform that champions vulnerable communities. Their belief in grassroots activism continues with Freedom Oklahoma, the state’s leading LGBTQIA+ advocacy organization. Even while navigating diagnoses of multiple sclerosis and cancer, Turner remains an inspiring advocate for all who value compassionate leadership.

Josef Kohout (1915 - 1994)

6/6/2026

On D-Day especially, it is appropriate to remember, Holocaust survivor, Josef Kohout. A Catholic, Kohout was 24 years old, when he fell in love with a man named Fred, whose father was a Nazi official. Citing Paragraph 175 of Germany’s legal code that criminalized “unnatural indecency between men,” Fred’s father had Josef arrested which led to his imprisonment in first Sachsenhausen and Flossenbürg concentration camps. In 1972, under the pseudonym Heinz Heger, Kohout published The Men in the Pink Triangle, the first published account of a gay survivor of the Nazi camps. In it he explained how gay prisoners were forced to wear a large, pink triangle, a symbol that meant they were to be treated as “the damnedest of the damned.” In his gripping account, he describes the brutality, forced labor, and systematic violence that were endured by the more than 15,000 gay prisoners. Kohout wanted the world to never forget what happened and after the war, he spent decades fighting for recognition as a victim of National Socialism and lived openly with his partner in Vienna until his death.

Billie Joe Armstrong (1972 - )

6/5/2026

Singer, songwriter, guitarist, and frontman of Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong (he/him) is one of the most influential rock musicians of the last 30 years. Coming out in the 1990s within a punk‑rock world often hostile to LGBTQIA+ identities, Armstrong used his platform to challenge homophobia and uplift those struggling with their sexuality. A 2014 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he reshaped punk for a new generation, bringing it into the mainstream while blending raw energy with political and emotional depth. From the breakout success of Dookie (1994) to the rebellious spirit of American Idiot (2004), Armstrong’s music echoes with themes of identity, alienation, and self‑definition. Green Day’s recent album Saviors (2024) features “Bobby Sox,” a song affirming that people should reconnect in whatever way they wish. It is hailed by critics as “a bisexual anthem.” Armstrong continues to evolve with the times, carrying forward a message that hatred has no place in this world and offering a voice that consistently speaks truth to power.

William Dorsey Swann (1860 - ca.1925)

6/4/2026

William Dorsey Swann (he/him) remains one of the most overlooked figures in LGBTQIA+ history. Born into slavery and emancipated at the end of the Civil War, Swann recognized the urgent need his community had in the late 19th century for safety, joy, and self‑expression. He organized secret drag balls in Washington, D.C. and boldly called himself the “Queen of Drag”—one of the earliest known uses of that term. These gatherings were far more than parties; they were acts of cultural preservation and resistance. They featured the “cakewalk,” a dance rooted in enslaved communities that would later influence voguing, linking Swann’s world to modern ballroom culture and even RuPaul’s Drag Race. When police raided the “House of Swann” on his thirtieth birthday, he did something unprecedented: he filed a legal petition demanding the right to assemble in drag. Though the courts denied his petition, historians now recognize it as the first legal claim for queer assembly rights in U.S. history—a milestone in the long arc of LGBTQIA+ liberation. A century before Stonewall, he asserted his identity and the rights of his community with extraordinary courage.

Jamie Lee Curtis (1958 - )

6/3/2026

Hollywood icon Jamie Lee Curtis (she/her) has forged a remarkably versatile career — from her debut in the Halloween franchise to her Oscar‑winning performance in the multiverse comedy Everything Everywhere All at Once. Capitalizing on her fame, she has built a powerful platform from which she speaks with clarity, conviction, and compassion on a wide range of humanitarian issues. In the process, she has become an influential ally and voice for the LGBTQIA+ community. As the mother of a transgender daughter, Curtis stands proudly and emphasizes that speaking out against discrimination is a moral responsibility, not a political stance. Her activism is longstanding and deeply personal, whether she is championing LGBTQIA+ rights, trans visibility, children’s health initiatives, addiction awareness, support for first responders, or, fittingly, First Amendment protections. She is also the author of several children’s books that address complex emotional themes such as identity, belonging, and self‑acceptance in ways young readers can understand. Grounding her advocacy in love, Curtis models what true allyship looks like.

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