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Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, a renowned trans rights advocate and longtime grassroots leader who was part of the seminal Stonewall riots, died on Monday, according to her organization.

The influential activist passed away at home in Little Rock, Arkansas, surrounded by family. She was 78 years old, and the cause of death were not disclosed.

Years of Dedicated Work

Miss Major was recognized as one of the United States' foremost trans rights pioneers, at the forefront in the struggle for transgender equality for more than five decades. In her final years, she offered a refuge for transgender and nonbinary individuals in her traditionally red state, while continuing to travel the country to advocate for trans equality and meet with emerging trans leaders and other LGBTQ activists.

Miss Major, famously called Miss Major, was widely regarded as an unapologetic advocate for the empowerment of African American transgender women, advocating for communities that have long suffered widespread bias and violence and have been ignored by the broader gay rights movement.

An Adoptive Parent

She was considered a guardian to trans folks nationwide, some of whom are prominent leaders themselves. She famously stated that she ceased keeping count after adopting 20 daughters.

Her mantra, “I’m still fucking here!”, reflected the optimism and comedy she brought to her activism and became a unifying statement for the resiliency of African American transgender individuals – a call to live long, full lives in a society that seeks to erase and ignore the community.

Formative Years and Challenges

Miss Major was born in Chicago. Her parents, a mail service employee and beauty shop manager, brought her to her first female impersonation show but were unsupportive when she identified with the performers. Her family sent her to psychiatric institutions as a teenager to “get the gay outta me”, and her mother destroyed her clothing, she shared in her 2023 book, Miss Major Speaks.

She went on to perform in the Jewel Box performance troupe, a theatrical performance in Chicago, helped by a teacher named Kitty who provided her with a wig, taught her makeup skills and encouraged her to accept her identity.

Stonewall and Beyond

Forced out of college in Minnesota for being trans, she found herself in New York, where she made a living through sex work. Some of her early activism was based in the alliances among sex workers who collaborated to keep themselves safe from law enforcement and dangerous customers.

Miss Major recalled suffering repeated police violence, including on that fateful June night in 1969, when the New York City police stormed the Stonewall tavern in the West Village, the infrequent safe space that she said accepted trans people.

She and others pushed back, and Miss Major recalled being knocked unconscious and imprisoned. “The cops assault you until you collapse. Everybody that stood up to them went through that. It wasn’t pretty. It was a riot. We were fighting for our lives. It was so sad,” she remarked in a subsequent conversation.

The Stonewall rebellion gave birth to modern Pride and were considered the birth of the modern LGBTQ+ rights struggle, but the transgender women of color participating in the demonstrations were cast aside by the leading movements that ensued.

“We struggled in vain. It’s a shame the way it turned out. We sparked the rebellion and what did we get? Nothing. Nothing,” she said, noting that LGBT figures were “ashamed to be seen with us|embarrassed to associate with us|unwilling to stand beside us}.”

Prison and Organizing

During a subsequent period in a New York prison, Miss Major became a protégé of Frank “Big Black” Smith, who had led a major prison uprising and educated her on principles of organizing, and how “you can’t throw anybody under the bus|you must not abandon anyone|no one should be sacrificed}”, a advice that shaped her future advocacy, she explained.

Ongoing Contributions and Influence

In the 1980s, Miss Major formed the Care Angels, a collective of trans folks who served as caretakers for gay men dying in the Aids epidemic, with efforts in California and New York. In San Francisco, she became an accomplished community leader, driving the city’s pioneering needle exchange vehicle and operating a drop-in center for trans sex workers, despite pushback from its associated charity.

Miss Major went on to direct the TGIJP, a initiative that fights the abuse of Black and brown trans folks in incarceration and provides support during re-entry. One of her adopted daughters, now leads the organization, which today is called the TGIJP Black Trans Center.

Recent Times and Continuing Influence

In the past few years, Miss Major endured frequent medical problems, yet she carried on with her advocacy through the House of Griffin-Gracy, which she also nicknamed Telling It Like It Fuckin’ Is (Tilifi). The organization brings transgender activists to her eclectic Oasis residence, called the Oasis, to offer a haven for respite and calm.

“I’ve gotta make joy here, because it doesn’t exist in the normal world,” Miss Major said in a past conversation. “They want us to live in the 1950s. No. Get off our fucking backs and let us live … I know the world I would like to live in. It’s in my head, but I try my best to live it now.”

Miss Major is remembered by her longtime partner; her boys, her sons Asaiah, Christopher, and Jonathon; and her “many daughters”.

“She was a visionary, a visionary, and resolute in her devotion to creating opportunities for Black, trans, formerly and currently incarcerated people. Because of her, numerous opportunities have been opened up for all of us to flourish – today and for future eras,” the organization shared. “While her bodily form has changed, we have acquired a influential forebear and there is no doubt that she is and always will be with us – leading, safeguarding, and recalling us that she is ‘still fucking here!’”