Meet Frances Thompson

Queer and trans people have always been here. Always.

Believed to be the first transgender woman to testify before the United States Congress, Frances Thompson was born into slavery in 1840. Living as a free woman by the age of 26, Thompson was an advocate for bodily autonomy, an anti-rape activist, and she played a pivotal role in getting the US government to enact legislation protecting the civil rights of newly emancipated Black people.

Thompson’s bold legacy lives on today as we continue fighting for self-determination, dignity, and justice for queer and trans people.

For more about Frances Thompson, check out this 2021 profile by Violet Lhant from the Human Rights Campaign.