National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day is commemorated on May 16 every year to pay tribute to leaders who fought for equal rights for the LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender) community.

Along with recognizing the accomplishments and struggles of the LGBT elders, National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day also draws attention to some of the challenges still faced by the community.

You can participate in the day's celebration by sharing your stories about your favorite LGBT leader who has inspired your life and by spending time reading more about their effort and works.

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Here are some motivational quotes from LGBT elders that will inspire you.

Courtesy: Human Rights Careers, Mental Floss

  1. "Love him and let him love you. Do you think anything else under heaven really matters?" – James Baldwin
  2. "If I wait for someone else to validate my existence, it will mean that I’m shortchanging myself." – Zanele Muholi
  3. "My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you." – Audre Lorde.
  4. "Every gay and lesbian person who has been lucky enough to survive the turmoil of growing up is a survivor. Survivors always have an obligation to those who will face the same challenges," George Takei
  5. "Equality means more than passing laws. The struggle is really won in the hearts and minds of the community, where it really counts."– Barbara Gittings
  6. "Openness may not completely disarm prejudice, but it’s a good place to start." – Jason Collins (the first male professional athlete to publicly identify himself as gay.)
  7. "There will not be a magic day when we wake up and it's now OK to express ourselves publicly. We make that day by doing things publicly until it’s simply the way things are," Tammy Baldwin(first openly gay U.S. Senator)
  8. "Like racism and all forms of prejudice, bigotry against transgender people is a deadly carcinogen. We are pitted against each other in order to keep ourselves from seeing each other as allies." Leslie Feinberg (Transgender activist and author)
  9. "Nature made a mistake, which I have corrected." – Christine Jorgensen (one of the first people to undergo sex reassignment surgery)
  10. "I don't want you to love me. I don't want you to like me. But I don't want you to beat me up and kill me. You don't have to like me, I don't care. But please don't kill me." Kristin Beck, (first openly transgender former U.S. Navy Seal)
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