In celebration of their 25th anniversary, the University of Wisconsin LGBTQ+ Campus Center hosted Miss Major Griffin Gracy on Tuesday evening.
Gracy, better known as Mama, is a multi-faceted individual whose history includes participation in the Stonewall Rebellion, jail time in the Attica State Prison and working as a sex worker, community leader and human rights activist.
The talk, entitled “An Evening With Miss Gracy” delved further into her personal story and goals for the LGBTQ+ community.
Many aspects of her work were discussed, including her motivation and goals for equal rights within the LGBTQ+ community.
It’s important to teach young people to accept and be understanding of everyone, Gracy said. Children, not adults, are the ones in charge of social change, instead of the other way around.
Teaching children to get along with other people is of the “utmost importance” in the fight to bring equal rights to the LGBTQ+ community, Gracy said.
“We need that opportunity to grow and expand and learn and change and do better,” Gracy said.
Both members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community can participate in activism of any form and can therefore make an impact, Gracy said.
Gracy described the road to equality as extremely difficult, and detailed the immense loss of life she has witnessed along the way, citing that activism has led to the death of transgender folks.
“[The people of the LGBTQ+ community] have to get the people your age to understand whose shoulders they are standing on… the people who have died for you to have the semi-freedom you have today,” Gracy said.
Currently, Gracy gives talks and lectures to empower members of the LGBTQ+ community to take action and fight for their freedoms.
Gracy is not planning on quitting her work anytime soon, she said.
“You can kill a person, but you can’t kill an idea,” Gracy said.
