March 15th

03-15-1933 – 07-25-2020   Ruth Bader Ginsburg – Born in Brooklyn, New York. She was an American lawyer and served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in September 2020. Ginsburg was the first Jewish woman and the second woman to serve on the Court. Much of her legal career was spent as an advocate for gender equality and women’s rights. Her impact on the lives of LGBT Americans is incalculable. She fought for the decriminalization of homosexuality, same-sex marriage, and job protections. One of Ginsburg’s final cases was Bostock v. Clayton County, concerning a gay employee fired after he mentioned joining a gay softball league; he sued, seeking to have sexual orientation and gender identity recognized as protected classes in the same way race and disability. In the major decision, the court found that the Civil Rights Act does protect LGBT people. Ginsburg became an “American cultural icon” known as “The Notorious R.B.G.”, She appeared in both a comic opera and a workout book. She admitted to having a large supply of Notorious R.G.B. t-shirts, which she gave away as gifts. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg became the first Supreme Court justice to officiate a same-sex marriage. She officiated a marriage between Kennedy Center President Michael M. Kaiser and economist John Roberts. The wedding took place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend seeing the 2018 documentary RGB. For those that follow in her footsteps, they have a towering role model who set the standard for what it means to fight for liberty and justice for all. RGB died from complications of pancreatic cancer. On September 29, she was buried beside her husband in Arlington National Cemetery. 

03-15-1948 Kate Bornstein – Born in Neptune City, New Jersey. She is a Jewish-American author, playwright, performance artist, and gender theorist. Having been assigned male at birth and then receiving sex reassignment surgery in 1986, Bornstein identifies as gender non-conforming, saying, “I don’t call myself a woman, and I know I’m not a man.” Bornstein has chronic lymphocytic leukemia and in September of 2012 was diagnosed with lung cancer. Bornstein and her partner Barbara Carrellas live in New York City with three cats, two dogs and a turtle. Bornstein’s autobiography, A Queer and Pleasant Danger: A Memoir, was released May 2012. In an interview with Ray Filar, dated March 14, 2016, she stated that she is now cancer-free.

03-15-1982 Kwame Harris – Born in Jamaica, his family moved to The Bronx, New York City, New York when he was three years old. Former NFL offensive tackle, this 6’7”, 332 lb. tackle played for the San Francisco 49er’s and the Oakland Raiders. On March 29, 2013, Harris officially outed himself as being gay during an interview with CNN. No NFL player had come out as gay while they were still playing, and only a few have after retiring.