Birthdays
Profiles of LGBT people, from the past and today – and celebrating their birthdays! All Birthdays →
Elizabeth Terry
Elizabeth Terry was born to African American parents in Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania, on December 20, 1951. Terry’s Christian upbringing influenced her to identify as a pacifist during the Vietnam War. Her interest in activism and her awareness about LGBTQ culture, African American civil rights, and women’s rights was influenced by reading The Village Voice as a teenager. Beginning in 1969, Terry attended Slippery Rock University for three years. In the early 1970s, she moved to Philadelphia to join the LGBTQ community. She attended Temple University for one semester and joined a variety of LGBTQ collectives and organizations, including Giovanni’s Room, Alexandria Book Collective, and the Backstage. Terry also was a National Organization for Women member and a leader of Philadelphians for Human Rights. As of 2021 Terry still resides in Philadelphia. For more on Elizabeth Terry, see Philadelphia LGBT History Project, 1940-1980, by Marc Stein.