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Their voices shaped culture, art, music, and activism, and the world is poorer for losing them too soon. Join us as we pay homage to some of the most trailblazing queer figures in history whose lives were tragically cut short.
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00:00But I also realized that symbolically that I am not just to gay people but to many other people
00:05I'm a symbol of hope. Welcome to Ms. Mojo and today we'll be paying homage to trailblazing
00:12queer figures across art, music, activism and culture whose lives were tragically cut short.
00:19You never completely have your rights. One person chose you all have your rights.
00:25Pedro Zamora. A lot of people said you know you're gonna be a
00:29romantic for a lot of you know people and it's sort of like no I'm just going to
00:34live my life as honestly as I can and do everything that I would do normally and
00:39if a lot of people look up to me that would be really nice. Reality television has introduced
00:43viewers to plenty of memorable personalities but few changed lives the way Pedro Zamora did.
00:50The Cuban-American AIDS educator became a breakout star on the real world San Francisco in 1994
00:57bringing conversations about HIV, safer sex and queer identity into living rooms across America.
01:05Every time I tell somebody I am HIV-positive it gets as hard. It's as hard as the first time
01:12I did it.
01:12So I'm still concerned about you know meet five people and I don't know how they're going to feel about
01:19me being HIV-positive.
01:20At a time when misinformation and stigma were rampant,
01:24Zamora spoke candidly about his diagnosis and experiences as a gay man.
01:28His relationship with Sean Sasser and their televised commitment ceremony also became one of TV's earliest depictions of a same
01:37-sex partnership.
01:38It's a lot easier for me to face my own fears and then face the uncertainty of my own life
01:44knowing that he's there so I love him.
01:51Tragically, Zamora died from AIDS-related complications just hours after the real world season finale aired. He was only 22
02:00years old.
02:01Millie Zamora keeps her brother's memory alive advocating for love and acceptance in all families.
02:08It's still incredible that so many families don't accept, don't love, and that they can't be together.
02:17Pat Parker
02:18Some people got a lot of nerve. Sometimes I don't believe the things I see and hear.
02:23Have you met the woman who's shocked by two women kissing and in the same breath tells you that she's
02:29pregnant? But gays shouldn't be blatant.
02:32Poet, activist, educator, and unapologetic truth-teller, Pat Parker spent her life challenging systems that marginalized women, queer people, and
02:41people of color.
02:42As a black lesbian feminist, Parker's writing confronted racism, sexism, homophobia, police brutality, and domestic violence with remarkable clarity and
02:53urgency.
02:54Her collections, including Movement in Black and Jonestown and Other Madness, became foundational texts within feminist and LGBTQIA plus movements.
03:05I am the black woman. I am the child of the sun, the daughter of dark. I carry fire to
03:12turn the world. I am water to quench its throat.
03:17Parker wasn't content to simply write about injustice. She organized, spoke publicly, and worked to build coalitions across many different
03:25communities.
03:26Her influence remains visible throughout queer feminist activism today.
03:30My lover is a woman, and when I hold her, feel her warmth, I feel good, feel safe. Then, I
03:38never think of my family's voices, never hear my sisters say,
03:43queers, funny.
03:44Sadly, Parker died from breast cancer in 1989 at the age of 45. She was survived by her longtime partner,
03:52Marty Dunham, and her two daughters. Divine.
03:55I was born a male. I still am a male. I have all my own equipment that I came with.
04:01Factory parts, huh?
04:02Yeah, these are all added parts that come off with my workload.
04:06Long before drag became a television phenomenon, Divine was busy smashing and redefining conventional norms of gender and beauty.
04:14Born Harris Glenn Milstead, the larger-than-life performer became the muse of filmmaker John Waters,
04:21appearing in cult classics like Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, and Polyester.
04:26Divine, are you a lesbian?
04:27Yes, I have done everything.
04:29Does blood turn you on?
04:30It does more than turn me on, Mr. Vader. It makes me .
04:33And more than the sight of it, I love the taste of it. The taste of hot, freshly killed blood.
04:39With outrageous humor, fearless self-expression, and undeniable charisma, Divine helped bring queer underground culture into the public eye.
04:47By the late 1980s, he was finding mainstream success through his own music, including international hits like I'm So Beautiful
04:54and You Think You're a Man.
04:56You think you're a man, but you're hungry, boy. You think you're a man, you are a real toy.
05:04Just as new opportunities were opening up for the versatile performer, tragedy struck. Divine died in his sleep from heart
05:11failure in 1988, aged 42.
05:15Sophie.
05:15I can see the truth through all the lies, even after all this time.
05:24Electronic music lost one of its most visionary minds on January 30th, 2021.
05:30The Scottish-born producer and artist, known mononymously as Sophie, spent years rewriting the rules of pop music entirely.
05:38Her productions, sharp and visceral and deliberately synthetic, helped birth the hyper-pop genre and worked with several artists, including
05:47Charlie XCX, Kim Petrus, and Madonna.
05:58Sophie was openly transgender, and her work, despite its synthetic nature, was deeply personal.
06:04Her 2018 album, Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides, received a Grammy nomination for best dance slash electronic album, and
06:13is widely hailed as a landmark in trans artistic expression.
06:16Sadly, she died in Athens after accidentally falling from a rooftop while climbing up to watch the full moon.
06:23She was 34.
06:25No, I've been fortunate to work with some great artists, and yeah, hopefully being here tonight will encourage that work
06:32to come through and get to the ears of people.
06:35Lorraine Hansberry
06:37Most people know Lorraine Hansberry as the ground-breaking playwright behind A Raisin in the Sun, the first play by
06:44a black woman produced on Broadway.
06:46She was reaching into the essence of who we were, who we are, where we came from.
06:54What many don't realize is that Hansberry was also a lesbian who privately engaged with early queer activism and wrote
07:02about sexuality through letters and essays.
07:05Her work explored race, inequality, identity, and the pursuit of dignity, forever changing American theater as we know it today.
07:12But while Hansberry was outspoken on racial justice in America, she reckoned with her sexuality in private. For nine years
07:19she was married to a man, Robert Nemiroff. And though she was never out publicly, Hansberry privately identified as a
07:26lesbian.
07:26Even during her short career, she emerged as one of the most important literary voices of her generation.
07:31Hansberry's extraordinary potential makes her loss feel especially devastating. In 1965, at just 34 years old, she passed away from
07:41pancreatic cancer.
07:43Though she left us at just 34, Hansberry's legacy endures. Her boldness, her vision, and her fight remind me that
07:52art isn't just about expression. It's about transformation.
07:56Sylvester
08:03With his dazzling falsetto, glamorous stage presence, and refusal to hide who he was, Sylvester became one of disco's most
08:11unforgettable stars.
08:13The singer helped break barriers for openly gender non-conforming performers while bringing black queer culture into mainstream music.
08:20Songs like You Make Me Feel Mighty Real became dance floor staples, and enduring LGBTQIA plus anthems.
08:36Throughout his career, Sylvester embraced authenticity in an era when many artists felt pressured to conceal their identities.
08:44Even after being diagnosed with HIV, he continued advocating for awareness and support.
08:50Sylvester died from AIDS-related complications in 1988 at age 41, and he left all future royalties from his music
08:58to AIDS charities.
08:59One of his last appearances in a wheelchair in San Francisco in the Pride Parade. He put a human face
09:05to us. He moved the conversation forward and reminded the world that there are human beings.
09:14Harvey Milk
09:15As political parades go, it was a little unusual. Harvey Milk, on his way to City Hall, be sworn in
09:21as a supervisor in San Francisco. Many of his backers were in the parade, or watching it go by. At
09:30his side, his gay lover.
09:31Before Harvey Milk entered politics, many LGBTQIA plus Americans struggled to see themselves represented in elected office.
09:39That changed when he won a seat on San Francisco's Board of Supervisors in 1977, becoming one of the first
09:46openly gay elected officials in the United States.
09:49If I'm fighting for the rights of gay people, and I am, then I must fight for the rights of
09:54all people.
09:55All the minorities, the senior citizens, the handicapped, the disenfranchised people, or I'm a hypocrite. And I'm a little bit
10:01too old to get in to become a hypocrite.
10:03Milk used his platform to fight discrimination, encourage political participation, and inspire queer people to live openly.
10:10His famous call for people to come out helped humanize LGBTQIA plus communities nationwide.
10:16I am dedicated to this city and district, dedicated to it. But I also realize that, symbolically, that I am,
10:24not just to gay people, but to many other people, I'm a symbol of hope.
10:27Less than a year after taking office, Milk was assassinated alongside Mayor George Moscone by former City Supervisor Dan White
10:35at the age of 48.
10:38Though his life was tragically cut short, his impact remains immeasurable.
10:42It's a coincidence that the movie of Milk's life is being released just as the battle for same-sex marriage
10:48is heating up.
10:50But it's a coincidence Harvey Milk, always a showman, undoubtedly would have saved him.
10:55Keith Haring
10:56Opportunity for Keith Haring is a blank advertising poster. Using a piece of chalk, the young man from Kutztown, Pennsylvania,
11:03draws a picture.
11:04A cartoon-like drawing, which he finishes in a minute or two, and then moves on.
11:09Bright colors, dancing figures, and radiant babies made Keith Haring's artwork instantly recognizable.
11:15But there was much more beneath the surface. The openly gay artist transformed New York City streets and subway stations
11:23into public galleries, making art accessible to everyone.
11:27He puts them down here so that millions can see them, and millions do.
11:31You don't have to know anything about art to appreciate it. There aren't any hidden secrets or things that you're
11:37supposed to understand.
11:38As the AIDS epidemic intensified, Haring used his growing fame to promote awareness, advocate for safer sex, and support LGBTQIA
11:47plus causes.
11:48His activism became inseparable from his artistic legacy. Through murals, posters, and charitable work, he showed how creativity could drive
11:56social change.
11:57Having his stuff taken seriously by the art world was one thing, but getting to hobnob with everybody on Hollywood
12:07Squares was like another level of fame that he really relished.
12:13Diagnosed with AIDS in 1988, Haring continued creating until his death in February 1990 at age 31. His art still
12:21feels electric and alive to this day.
12:23Every chance he gets, it's back down into the subway system, looking furtively around to make sure the coast is
12:30clear, and then going to it. Art for the people. All for the price of a subway token.
12:37Marsha P. Johnson.
12:39She was fondly known as Saint Marsha, a central figure in New York City's gay liberation movement, a model for
12:46artist Andy Warhol, and an advocate for transgender and homeless youth.
12:50Ask what the P in her name stood for, and she would tell you, pay it no mind.
12:55That phrase alone captures something essential about Marsha P. Johnson.
12:59A black transgender activist and self-described drag queen, Johnson was a prominent presence in New York's queer community, and
13:06was at the forefront of the Stonewall uprising of 1969.
13:10She was here throwing things. I don't know if she threw the first chocolates or brick, because I don't think
13:15a shot glass would break that window either.
13:19We heard it, because that started everybody breaking windows, but I don't know who really threw it. If it was
13:24Marsha, thank you.
13:25Alongside fellow activist Sylvia Rivera, she founded Star, an organization dedicated to supporting homeless transgender and queer youth.
13:34Johnson spent years advocating for marginalized members of the community who were often overlooked by mainstream movements.
13:41During the AIDS crisis that began in the 1980s, Johnson helped spread awareness and raise money.
13:46She looked after sick friends even as she struggled with her own mental illness and became HIV positive herself.
13:53In July 1992, at age 46, her body was found in the Hudson River.
13:59Till today, many activists argued the circumstances surrounding her death were inadequately investigated.
14:05I hope nobody cried, neither. I hope you think, get up and dance, party, and have a good time.
14:11Freddie Mercury
14:13Even among music's greatest legends, Freddie Mercury stands apart.
14:23As the electrifying frontman of Queen, he combined astonishing vocal ability with theatrical flair and fearless individuality.
14:32Mercury's performances challenged expectations of what a rock star could be, inspiring generations of LGBTQIA plus fans to embrace their
14:42uniqueness.
14:53Though he rarely discussed his sexuality publicly, he became one of the world's most recognizable queer cultural figures.
15:00In November 1991, Mercury publicly confirmed he had been diagnosed with AIDS.
15:06Less than 24 hours later, he died from AIDS-related bronchopneumonia.
15:11He was only 45 years old.
15:13Decades later, his music, style, and influence are still felt all around the world.
15:19As long as the music is still there, and as long as the people are still buying the music, then
15:23it's okay.
15:25When they stop buying our records, then I'll say goodbye and do something else, become a strip artist or something.
15:39A lot of people in the world are well known as the majority of people like China.