#trumpera

A founding force behind STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) and a beacon of compassion in the aftermath of Stonewall, Marsha P. Johnson fought for homeless queer youth and rallied for HIV/AIDS awareness long before mainstream acknowledgment. Her life underscores the intersection of race, poverty, and queer activism.

3. Sylvia Rivera (1951–2002)

Partner in both activism and spirit to Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera was a Latina trans pioneer who insisted that the movement’s victories include all members of the community—especially the most marginalized. Her testimony illustrates how liberation demands both protest and solidarity across lines of difference.

4. Harvey Milk (1930–1978)

One of the first openly gay elected officials in American history, Harvey Milk’s election to San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors and his subsequent assassination galvanized national attention on LGBTQ+ civil rights. Milk’s advocacy for visibility and representation paved the way for countless others to “come out” safely into public life.

5. First Pride March (June 28, 1970)

Marking the one-year anniversary of Stonewall, the inaugural Pride March on Christopher Street was a bold declaration of queer presence in the streets of New York City. Today’s global Pride festivals owe their energy and spirit to that first, courageous parade.

6. Assassination of Harvey Milk (November 27, 1978)

Milk’s murder—and the public mourning and activism it ignited—became a turning point in LGBTQ+ legal and cultural recognition. His death reminded the nation that prejudice can be lethal, and that political engagement is often a matter of survival.

7. Alan Turing (1912–1954)

Beneath the code-breaking genius who helped win World War II lay a tragic tale of criminal prosecution for homosexuality. Forced to undergo chemical “treatment,” Turing’s fate stands as one of the most heartbreaking intersections of scientific progress and social bigotry.

8. Dr. James Barry (c. 1789–1865)

Born Margaret Ann Bulkley but living most of their adult life as James Barry, this pioneering army surgeon performed groundbreaking operations across the British Empire. Barry’s story challenges rigid gender norms in the 19th century and reminds us of the countless trans lives lost to historical erasure.

9. Baron Friedrich von Steuben (1730–1794)

The Prussian officer credited with transforming the Continental Army into a disciplined fighting force is believed by many historians to have been gay. His role in the American Revolution illustrates that LGBTQ+ contributions to our nation date back to its very founding.

10. Sally Ride (1951–2012)

America’s first woman in space kept her same-sex partnership private during her lifetime. In the decades since her death, Ride has become an icon not only for women in STEM, but also for LGBTQ+ scientists whose careers have too often been shadowed by prejudice.

11. Stormé DeLarverie (1920–2014)

Sometimes called “the Rosa Parks of Pride,” DeLarverie’s resistance to police harassment at Stonewall is credited with sparking the riots themselves. As a biracial butch lesbian, her life story underscores how multiple axes of identity collide in the fight for justice.

12. Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)

The Irish playwright whose wit enchanted Victorian society was ultimately brought low by a sodomy conviction. Wilde’s trial and imprisonment became a cause célèbre that revealed the stark hypocrisy of a culture that both idolized and vilified him.

13. Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)

Long after his death, historians have scrutinized accusations of sodomy brought against da Vinci in 1476. Today, his life invites us to consider how Renaissance creativity and queer experience have been intertwined—and too often written out of art-history narratives.

Why These Stories Matter

Each of these figures and events expands our understanding of who we are as a society—and how notions of progress, freedom, and identity have evolved. When religious objections lead to “opt-outs,” we risk segmenting history into countless pockets of silence. The consequence isn’t just a patchwork curriculum; it’s a generation of students who remain ignorant of the full, rich tapestry of human experience.

Toward a More Inclusive Future

Sincerity and scope:  Schools can—and should—require parents to document sincere, narrowly tailored objections rather than permit broad vetoes.

Advance notice:  Transparent communication about upcoming lessons gives families time to discuss sensitive topics at home without undermining classroom cohesion.

Alternative engagement:  Rather than isolating a student, schools might offer supplemental materials that approach the same historical facts from a different angle—ensuring no child misses the lesson entirely.

In March, President Trump signed an executive order directing all federal agencies to break down data silos and share information freely. According to The New York Times, the administration has tapped Palantir’s Foundry to stitch together records from the Department of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, the IRS, Social Security Administration, Medicare and more—raising fears that these once‐separate systems will coalesce into a “master database” of every American’s movements, finances, benefits status, health data, and beyond.

Palantir’s pitch is efficiency: better fraud detection, faster emergency response, and “data-driven governance.” But when “efficiency” means having wall-to-wall access to Americans’ most intimate information, the line between public service and state surveillance blurs—and nobody in the administration has publicly outlined guardrails on who can see or act on this mash-up of personal data.

Real-World Examples: How Camera Feeds Fuel New Abuses

1. Abortion Surveillance via ALPR Cameras

Just last week, reporting by 404 Media revealed that a Texas sheriff’s office ran a nationwide lookup of more than 83,000 automatic license-plate reader (ALPR) cameras to track down a woman who had self-administered an abortion—even searching cameras in states like Washington and Illinois where abortion remains legal 404 Media. Marketed as a tool to stop carjackings or find missing persons, Flock’s ALPR network has been repurposed to enforce contested reproductive-rights laws, granting one state’s law enforcement extraterritorial reach into another’s protected domains.

2. ICE’s Side-Door into Local Camera Systems

Simultaneously, immigration authorities have been piggy-backing on the same Flock network. Internal logs show local police around the country performing thousands of ALPR searches for “ICE,” “immigration,” and “deportation” reasons—even though U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has no formal contract with Flock 404 Media. This “informal” access effectively turns small-town camera grids into a nationwide dragnet, enabling federal agents to track immigrant communities without oversight or transparency.

What Else Could This Database Be Used For?

Once data from tax returns, benefit records, license plates, and even social-media accounts are fused into a single pool, the possibilities for invasive—and often illegal—applications multiply:

Political Surveillance & Protest Policing Merge DMV photos with protest footage to identify marchers, then deploy audits or criminal charges to chill dissent.

Predictive Policing & Risk Profiling Feed individuals’ location, purchase, and communications histories into AI models that rank “public-safety risk,” justifying preemptive stops or heavier patrols in certain neighborhoods.

Voting Suppression Cross-reference voter rolls with benefit-recipient lists or travel patterns to flag “suspicious” ballots or intimidate targeted demographics with misleading outreach.

Insurance & Employment Discrimination Insurers and employers could buy or co-opt government data to deny coverage or jobs based on health history (e.g., clinic visits), credit records, or even past travel.

Family Separation & Child Protective Actions Social-services and education records fused with location data could trigger automated CPS investigations—potentially resulting in unwarranted removals of children from their homes.

Commercial Exploitation & Data Brokerage Once assembled, this all-in-one dataset would be a gold mine for marketing firms—enabling ultra-targeted ads and price discrimination down to the individual.

Each of these scenarios leverages the same dynamics: previously siloed data—whether from the IRS, SSA, camera networks, or cell-tower logs—becomes instantly searchable and actionable under Palantir’s dashboard. As more agencies sign on, opt-out becomes nearly impossible without losing access to essential services.

Can We Stop It?