August 31st

08-31-1975 Sara Ramírez – Born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico. She is a Mexican American actress, singer, and songwriter. Ramírez is the recipient of a Tony Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Satellite Award. Her role as Dr. Callie Torres, in ABC’s medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy, brought her wider recognition. She is an LGBT activist for equality and in 2015 was awarded the Ally for Equality Award by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. In 2012, she married Ryan DeBolt. Ramírez came out as bisexual in October 2016. She wrote to The Huffington Post that her decision to come out publicly was a “very organic and natural” one. In September 2016, she donated her hair to “Locks of Love,” an organization that makes wigs for children who suffer from medical conditions that lead to hair fall out. In August 2020, Ramírez said they identified as non-binary. they use they/she pronouns. On July 6, 2021, she announced in an Instagram post that they were no longer with Ryan DeBolt.

08-31-1954 Caroline Cossey – Born in Brooke, Norfolk, England. She is a trans woman that has appeared in the James Bond film, For Your Eyes Only (1981) and posed for Playboy in 1991 as an acknowledged transsexual. She was outed by British tabloid News of the World. Cossey worked as a model under the name “Tula” and appeared in Australian Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. She released two autobiographies: I Am a Woman and My Story. Her final surgery was in December 1974. In 1992, she married Canadian David Finch. They live in Kennesaw, Georgia, U.S.A.

08-31-1952 – Mariana Romo-Carmona – Born in Chile, emigrated to the U.S. with parents at the age of 14. She produced the first lesbian and gay bilingual radio program. Romo-Carmona is also the author of several books, including Speaking Like an Immigrant: A Collection.

 

08-31-1968 Jennifer Azzi – Born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. She is the head coach of the women’s basketball team at the University of San Francisco. Azzi is a former collegiate and professional basketball player. In 2009 she was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. On March 31, 2016, Azzi came out as gay, announcing her marriage to USG assistant Blair Hardiek. Azzi said, “ I lived a long time not being 100 percent honest. Kind of the don’t-ask-don’t-tell kinda thing. And it’s so stupid. The best thing I can do for my team is to be authentic and true to myself.”

08-31-1977 – 07-06-1999   Barry L. Winchell – Born in Kansas City, Missouri. He was an infantry soldier in the US Army. In 1999, Winchell, his roommate, Justin Fisher, and other soldiers, went to a Nashville club, The Connection, which featured transgender performers. At the club, Winchell met Calpernia Addams, a transgender female showgirl. The two began to date. Fisher began to spread rumors about their relationship at Ft. Campbell. Winchell became the target of constant harassment which his superiors did little to stop. On the Fourth of July weekend, Winchell and soldier Calvin Glover got into a fight. Winchell won the fight easily. Fisher then began harassing Glover about being beaten by a “fucking faggot” like Winchell. On July 5, 1999, Glover took a baseball bat from Fisher’s locker and struck Winchell in the head while he slept. Winchell died the next day. Glover was convicted of Winchell’s murder and is serving a life sentence. Fisher was convicted on lesser crimes and was released in October 2006. Winchell’s murder led Secretary of Defense William Cohen to order a review of the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which some asserted was a significant factor in Winchell’s harassment and murder. Commanding General at the time of the murder was Major General Robert T. Clark, who refused to take responsibility for the anti-gay climate at Ft. Campbell. The 2003 film Soldier’s Girl is based on Winchell’s murder and the events leading up to it. The film received a Peabody Award and Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.

08-31-1969 – 07-23-1997 Andrew Cunanan – Born in National City, California. He was an American serial killer who murdered at least five people, including fashion designer Gianni Versace, during a three-month period in 1997. On June 12, 1997, Cunanan became the 449th fugitive to be listed by the FBI on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. The killing spree ended with Cunanan’s suicide. He was 27 years old.