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Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, a renowned transgender rights activist and veteran grassroots leader who witnessed the historic Stonewall riots, passed away Monday, as announced by her close associates.

The influential activist passed away at home in Little Rock, Arkansas, in the company of relatives. She was 78 years old, and the reason for her passing were not disclosed.

Decades of Activism

Miss Major was known as one of the United States' leading trans rights pioneers, spearheading efforts in the struggle for transgender equality for half a century. In her remaining time, she offered a refuge for trans and gender-nonconforming people in her conservative home state, while visiting various parts of the country to advocate for trans equality and connect with trans youth and other queer community builders.

Miss Major, commonly known simply as Miss Major, became known as an fearless defender for the liberation of African American transgender women, fighting for communities that have endured systemic prejudice and violence and have been ignored by the larger LGBT activism.

A Matriarchal Figure

She was viewed a matriarch to transgender females nationwide, some of whom are prominent leaders themselves. She once stated that she ceased keeping count after taking on numerous trans daughters.

Her catchphrase, “I’m still fucking here!”, captured the joy and humor she infused into her activism and became a unifying statement for the resiliency of Black trans people – a call to live meaningful, extended lives in a world that pushes to marginalize and eliminate the community.

Youth and Adversity

Miss Major was a native of Chicago. Her parents, a postal service administrator and cosmetics store operator, brought her to her first female impersonation show but were unsupportive when she felt a connection to the performers. Her family sent her to mental health facilities as a teenager to “cure her of homosexuality”, and her mother destroyed her clothing, she narrated in her recent publication, 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 gave her a wig, taught her makeup skills and encouraged her to accept her true self.

Riots and Legacy

Pushed out of higher education in Minnesota for her gender expression, she eventually moved to New York, where she supported herself via adult services. Some of her first organizing efforts was based in the networks of sex workers who cooperated to protect one another from police and dangerous customers.

Miss Major described facing ongoing law enforcement abuse, including on that fateful June night in 1969, when the NYPD raided the Stonewall bar in the West Village, the infrequent safe space that she said accepted trans people.

She and others resisted, and Miss Major shared how she was struck down and incarcerated. “The cops beat on you till you drop. Everybody that defied them went through that. It wasn’t pretty. It was a riot. We were struggling to stay alive. It was so sad,” she stated in a recent discussion.

The Stonewall rebellion gave birth to modern Pride and were viewed the birth of the contemporary gay rights movement, but the Black and brown trans women part of the uprising were excluded by the mainstream activism that followed.

“We battled without gain. It’s a shame the way it turned out. We sparked the rebellion and what did we get? Nothing. Nothing,” she said, mentioning that gay and lesbian leaders were “ashamed to be seen with us|embarrassed to associate with us|unwilling to stand beside us}.”

Jail Time and Activism

During a later stint in a New York prison, Miss Major became a protégé of Frank “Big Black” Smith, who had spearheaded a significant prison revolt and educated her on fundamentals of activism, and how “you can’t throw anybody under the bus|you must not abandon anyone|no one should be sacrificed}”, a lesson that inspired her later work, she shared.

Later Work and Legacy

In the eighties, Miss Major created the Guardian Angels, a group of trans women who acted as caregivers for homosexual men succumbing to AIDS, with programs in California and New York. In San Francisco, she became an esteemed grassroots organizer, operating the city’s first mobile needle exchange van and overseeing a drop-in center for trans folks in sex work, despite pushback from its associated charity.

Miss Major went on to lead the Transgender Gender-Variant & Intersex Justice Project (TGIJP), a initiative that opposes harm of trans people of color in prison and offers assistance during post-release. One of her adopted daughters, now directs the organization, which today is called the TGIJP Black Trans Center.

Final Years and Lasting Impact

In recent years, Miss Major suffered repeated health challenges, yet she continued her work through the House of Griffin-Gracy, which she also nicknamed “Telling It Like It Is”. The organization brings trans leaders to her vibrant Arkansas retreat, called the Oasis retreat, to offer a haven for rest and relaxation.

“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 survived by her devoted companion; her boys, Asaiah, Christopher, and Jonathon; and her “many daughters”.

“She was a world builder, a forward-thinker, and resolute in her devotion to creating opportunities for marginalized communities. Because of her, countless new possibilities have been made for all of us to succeed – today and for future eras,” the organization stated. “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 – guiding, protecting and reminding us that she is ‘still fucking here!’”