9 LGBT People Of Color Who Changed History

From: NewNowNext

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Audre Lorde

Born in New York in 1934, Lorde graduated from Hunter College in 1959 and began exploring her lesbian identity in Greenwich Village soon after.

She became a leader in the feminist movement of the 1960s, advocating for the rights of women of color, whose experiences were being neglected by the mainstream women’s movement.

Her views angered many white feminists, who felt suffering was something that united all women. In response, Lorde insisted, “What you hear in my voice is fury, not suffering. Anger, not moral authority.”

From 1968 to 1980, she published nine works of poetry and feminist writing. One of her most notable poems was a love letter, “To Martha: A New Year,” which publicly confirmed her sexual identity.

Lorde was the New York State Poet Laureate from 1991 until her death from breast cancer in 1992.

Before she died, Lorde changed her name to Gamba Adisa, which translates to “Warrior—she who makes her meaning known.”