Ernestine Eckstein

Ernestine Eckstein (April 23, 1941 – July 15, 1992) was a Black lesbian woman who fought for lesbian rights. Eckstein participated in LGBTQ rights protests that occurred before the famous Stonewall Riots of 1969.[1]

Activism

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Eckstein was often one of the few women at early LGBTQ rights protests. Usually she was the only Black women in attendance.[2]

Ernestine Eckstein was the vice president of the New York chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis organization.[3] The Daughters of Bilitis were a nationwide group that fought for lesbian rights, and offered help to lesbians who needed it.[4] Eckstein was on the cover of The Ladder in June 1966, fighting against racism in both the United States and the LGBTQ movement, representing a Black lesbian advocate.[3] Eckstein believed that it was more important for her to fight for LGBTQ rights than Black rights because as a Black person she already had rights, but as a member of the LGBTQ community, she didn’t have the same freedom.[5]

References

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  1. ↑ "Stonewall Riots". www.britannica.com. 2022-06-22. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  2. ↑ Aviles, Gwen; Jao, Ariel; Sopelsa, Brooke (2020-02-13). "16 queer Black trailblazers who made history". NBC News. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Downs, Jim (2019-06-27). "Before Stonewall, There Was a Bookstore". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  4. ↑ Theophano, Teresa (2005-10-20). "Daughters of Bilitis". Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  5. ↑ Zornosa, Laura (2020-10-22). "As a new docuseries shows, there's no Stonewall without Black queer activists". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-04-20.