As we enter Pride Month this June, we celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, not only for their visibility and vibrance, but for their lasting contributions to how we think about care, connection, and sexual wellness. Pride is rooted in protest, resilience, and the fight for dignity. And within that fight, pleasure has always played a meaningful role.
At Blush, we believe in honoring the trailblazers who laid the foundation for a more inclusive and affirming understanding of pleasure. These are the people who challenged outdated norms, spoke openly when it wasn’t safe to do so, and made room for all of us to feel more seen, more accepted, and more empowered in our wellness journeys. Their names are woven into LGBTQ+ history, reminding us that pleasure has always been part of the fight for freedom.
Understanding this history helps us appreciate not only the progress we have made, but also the work that remains. It’s a reminder that the right to sexual self-expression, bodily autonomy, and wellness resources has been a hard-won achievement led by some of the most marginalized voices.
Remembering Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera
Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera were two trans women of color whose courage helped ignite the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. As central figures in the Stonewall uprising of 1969, they fought not only for visibility but for survival, equity, and dignity. Their tireless advocacy created a cultural shift that continues to shape every part of queer life, including our access to pleasure and bodily autonomy.
Marsha Johnson was known for her joyful presence and unrelenting activism, while Rivera fought fiercely for the rights of trans youth and unhoused LGBTQ+ people. Together, they co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), an organization dedicated to housing and supporting transgender people.
Both were vocal about the right to exist, to thrive, and to be safe. Their legacy lives on in every conversation about freedom, consent, and inclusive care. They reminded the world that the pursuit of joy, especially in the face of marginalization, is a powerful form of resistance.
Audre Lorde on Erotic Power, Identity, and Self-Care
Audre Lorde, a Black lesbian poet, feminist, and activist, revolutionized the way we speak about sexuality and self-care. In her acclaimed essay Uses of the Erotic, she described the erotic not as a taboo or shameful thing, but as a source of deep knowledge, creativity, and empowerment.
Lorde called on women, especially queer women and women of color, to reclaim their right to pleasure as a means of self-connection and resistance. She argued that the erotic is a deeply spiritual force that helps us know ourselves more fully and live more authentically.
Her work taught us that joy is a necessity. Lorde’s writing dismantled the idea that pleasure is trivial or self-indulgent. Instead, she positioned it as a wellspring of power and truth. Through her lens, wellness becomes a holistic practice that includes emotional, intellectual, and sensual fulfillment.
Her influence continues to ripple through the sexual wellness movement, especially in conversations around intersectionality and reclaiming agency. Audre Lorde’s legacy reminds us that the journey toward wellness begins with self-recognition and that reclaiming pleasure is a revolutionary act.
How Bayard Rustin Bridged Civil Rights and LGBTQ+ Advocacy
Bayard Rustin was a brilliant strategist of the civil rights era and one of the first openly gay Black men to lead in American activism. Best known for organizing the 1963 March on Washington, Rustin’s contributions were instrumental in shaping the nonviolent resistance strategies of the movement. Despite his impact, his sexuality often led to him being pushed to the background.
In the later years of his life, Rustin became an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive anti-discrimination laws and equal protection. He recognized that justice could not be partial, it had to include all identities, all bodies, and all forms of love.
Rustin’s life is a powerful reminder that visibility matters. Being out, especially in a time when it was dangerous to do so, was itself a form of protest. His insistence on inclusive justice set a precedent that continues to inspire today’s activists and thought leaders across civil rights and sexual health movements.
How LGBTQ+ Leaders Changed the Way We Understand Wellness
These LGBTQ+ pioneers reshaped how we talk about health, care, and connection. They built safe spaces where people could explore their identities, access affirming resources, and engage with pleasure on their own terms.
Thanks to their efforts, the conversation around wellness today is broader and more inclusive. It recognizes that wellness is not only physical. It is emotional. It is social. It is intimately personal. These leaders helped remove the stigma around sexuality and opened the door for more compassionate, comprehensive approaches to care.
Pride Is a Celebration and a Call to Action
As we mark Pride Month, we reflect on the work of LGBTQ+ leaders who made space for all of us to live more freely and love more boldly. Their vision and sacrifices shaped the world we know today and they continue to guide us as we imagine a better future.
Pride is a call to action, inviting each of us to engage, support, and uplift LGBTQ+ voices and experiences. Whether it is learning about queer history, donating to LGBTQ+ organizations, or exploring your own relationship to pleasure and identity, every step forward matters.
At Blush, we stand proudly with the LGBTQ+ community, in June and every month, not just in celebration but in solidarity. Together, we continue the work of creating a world where wellness is expansive, pleasure is political, and everyone has the right to feel good in their body.
