Miss Major wins International Community Trailblazer at GAY TIMES Honours 2023
Miss Major is the recipient of the GAY TIMES Honour for International Community Trailblazer. A visionary activist and Stonewall veteran, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy (commonly referred to as just “Miss Major”) has been at the forefront of the transgender liberation movement and has dedicated her life’s work to improve the lives of her community.
Born in Chicago in the 1940s, her lived experience as a Black trans woman has both fuelled and informed her work to promote legislative freedoms and enhance the quality of life for LGBTQIA+ people – especially gender-diverse people facing social issues, such as police brutality and drug dependency.
Miss Major flourished through the city’s drag balls, before relocating to New York in the early 1960s, where she became a regular on the Stonewall roster of talent.
The activist, alongside Marsha P. Johnson, were present at the fateful night in 1969 when the Stonewall Riots broke out. This laid the foundation and sparked the inception of the contemporary LGBTQIA+ rights movement.
