Queerly Departed and Trancestors

In my practice I honour different groups of ancestors. Those are the Ancestors of Blood, those related to me by blood. Ancestors of the Land, who have lived on this land here before me. Ancestors of the Heart, those who are very dear to me, but not necessarily family. Ancestors of Spirit, those who practiced witchcraft, or influenced my path in any way, and the Ancestors of Craft, those who practiced my crafts before me.
Of course, some of these groups have overlap. Some dearly departed fit into multiple categories. And of course, there are those ancestors who were queer. After all, we've always been here

So, on this page, I would like to share with you some of the Queerly Departed and Trancestors that I honour in my path. I expect this list to be a constantly growing list of people, as I learn more about queer history, art, and pride.

Willem Johan Cornelis Arondéus :: (22 August 1894 – 1 July 1943) Arondéus was an artist and poet who saved so many lives when he joined the Dutch resistance in WWII and bombed the Amsterdam public records office, making sure the Nazi's didn't know which families were Jewish. Arondéus was openly gay before the war and defiantly asserted his sexual orientation before his execution. His last words were: "Tell people that homosexuals are not cowards."

Marsha P. Johnson :: (August 24, 1945 – July 3, 1992) Marsha, to me, is the Mother of Pride. She fought so hard for our rights, to keep queer kids safe, to aid people with AIDS, the list goes on. And during her time she was not honoured for this, and still, she kept going. Despite the hate, even from her own community. Marsha is a fighter, and a beacon of light.

Sylvia Rivera :: (July 2, 1951 – February 19, 2002) The second Mother of Pride. Sylvia was a frontline fighter, not only for the rights of transgender people, but also those in poverty, those who were homeless, and people of color. Often pushed aside in favor of more "palatable" white, middle-class gays, she never backed down, and never stopped fighting.

Gilbert Baker :: (June 2, 1951 – March 31, 2017) If Marsha and Sylvia are the Mothers of Pride, then Gilbert is the Father. He of course created the original rainbow flag that has become the symbol of the Queer community today. Artist, activist, and vexillographer (flag designer), he gave us a symbol of hope and community, that was not a historic sign of our oppression. "Something beautiful," he stated, "something from us"

Keith Haring :: (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) I've always had a soft spot for Keith's art. Haring loved the Netherlands, which means there is a lot of art he made in unusual places. One of those was our middle school!