Highlighting the impact of Black LGBTQ+ people

As part of Pride Month 2023, Aviva Pride has been highlighting the impact of Black LGBTQ+ people as an important but often underrepresented or forgotten part of our community’s history through a special exhibition at our offices.

The exhibition serves as a reminder that LGBTQ+ people have always been around, and introduces our colleagues to some key changemakers, including:

Alice Dunbar Nelson (1875-1935) - Poet, Journalist, Political Activist: Alice was a field organizer for the suffrage movement, and became Executive Secretary of the American Friends Inter-Racial Peace Committee. She was a popular speaker and was a highly successful columnist in a time when it was unusual for women to work outside the home, with more blockages put in the way of African-American women.

Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) - Activist for civil rights and nonviolence: Bayard co-organized the Journey of Reconciliation in 1947, the first of the Freedom Rides to test a Supreme Court ruling that banned racial discrimination in interstate travel. Despite this, participants of the Journey were arrested several times while en route. Bayard served 22 days for violating Jim Crow laws as he disregarded segregated seating on public transportation. In 2022, Bayard and the other four Freedom Riders arrested with him, were retrospectively dismissed of all charges.

Victor Mukasa (born 1975) – Human Rights and Trans Activist: Following his education, Victor became active in the LGBTQ+ movement in East Africa. Victor and a fellow activist were arrested in 2005 when local police raided his home without a search warrant and confiscated LGBTQ+ related documents. Upon release, he held a press conference on LGBTQ+ rights and challenged his detention and police abuse. Victor was also the first activist to address the United Nations about transgender struggles in Africa. Victor identifies as a trans-lesbian.

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