Queer Leaders of Richmond
In 1969, protests over the treatment of the queer community by police came after The Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City, was raided. The ensuing rebellion has become a rallying point for LGBTQIA+ rights.
To mark the anniversary of those events, VPM News is highlighting some of the queer leaders in Richmond whose work has had a direct impact on the lives of other LGBTQIA+ Virginians.
To mark the anniversary of those events, VPM News is highlighting some of the queer leaders in Richmond whose work has had a direct impact on the lives of other LGBTQIA+ Virginians.
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Crixell Matthews/Sharing her story comes with a cost. Higgs said it’s not easy to bear your soul to people who might not sympathize with your story. -
Crixell Matthews/“The final straw for me was when I had my life threatened in a bathroom by a cis, male student," they said.
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Crixell Matthews/Clara Elliott is the founder of Arm Trans Women Firearm Instruction, which offers free firearms training to transgender and nonbinary people in Virginia. As a firearm instructor and transgender woman, Elliott said she saw a need for access to these services in her community.
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Crixell Matthews/The Waynesboro-born attorney began running free gender marker and name changing clinics across the commonwealth for transgender people in 2014.
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Crixell Matthews/“Once she started speaking on what she wanted to do, you could just see the vision in her eyes,” Charnetta Lee said.
