Brenda Howard

Brenda Howard was born to a Jewish family in the Bronx, New York in 1946. Howard grew up on Long Island and obtained a degree in nursing from Borough of Manhattan Community College in 1978. She would go on to become one of the first bisexual rights activists, a leading force in the Gay Liberation Movement, and recognized as the “Mother of Pride” for her contributions to LGBTQ activism and protest. Howard was also a prominent member of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in New York City, someone for whom Jewish identity and text study were massively important in relation to activist work.

Like many activists of her generation, Howard got her start in anti-Vietnam War protests in the mid to late 1960s. By 1969 she was living in a Brooklyn urban commune full of anti-war activists, draft dodgers, and other radicals. As a result of the anti-war movement’s male-dominated nature Howard became increasingly involved in the feminist movement of the 70s and beyond. However, the work she is most recognized for today is her gay rights activism; Howard is remembered for being the force behind numerous pride activist groups and, most prominently, the creator of the first pride parade.

After Stonewall, Howard proposed a celebration of the uprising and an annual commemoration that would go on to become Gay Pride Week; the Christopher Street Liberation March of 1970, which Howard spearheaded, is widely considered the first ever pride parade. The procession was twenty blocks long and comprised of thousands of participants. Howard was also instrumental in the naming of the march, emphasizing the gay community’s pride in the face of rampant discrimination and violence. The use of the term ‘pride’ to describe the activist work and the early marches reframed the nature of gay liberation for many.

A proud bisexual and polyamorous woman, Howard never shied away from her identity and is remembered by her peers and fellow activists as upfront and outspoken. She was open about her sexuality, frequently wearing a button that read: “Bi, Poly, Switch — I know what I want.” This bold recognition of her identity is how many of her peers remember her today.

Howard was raised Jewish and went on to attend and become an integral part of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, a prominent LGBTQ synagogue. A fellow congregant, Hayyim Obadyah, recalls that, “Brenda lived a deeply Jewish life. She knew that for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Jews to pray together as Jews and as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people is both spiritually fulfilling and politically revolutionary…. Brenda cared about the Jewish community, and she made a difference in our understanding of inclusiveness.” She cared about text study and biblical interpretation, curious about how religious concepts could inform modern day activism and provide direction for collective growth and spiritual treatment.

Beyond her work with the Christopher Street Liberation March, Howard would go on to lead countless queer activist groups throughout the AIDS crisis and into the early 2000s. She was a founder of the New York Area Bisexual Network, where she took care to respond personally to phone calls and queries; this organization was a special association for Howard and she treated it with care and attention appropriately. She was a leader of the Gay Liberation Front and served as a chair of the Gay Activists Alliance for several years. In 1987, Howard was a co-chair for the March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights. The rallies continued in 1993, where Howard championed to add “Bi” to the title of the March. It was successful, and the demonstrations were retitled the March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights. Howard’s activism had always centered on debunking harmful myths regarding bisexuality and making space for it in the spotlight alongside other queer activist narratives.

Although Howard died in 2005, her legacy remains strong in the LGBTQ community of today. The Brenda Howard Memorial Award is given through PFLAG, established in 2005 by PFLAG’s Queens chapter to honor the “Mother of Pride.” The award is presented to an individual or group that represents Howard’s vision and service to the bisexual and LGBTQ communities. It was the first award by a major U.S. LGBTQ organization to be named after a bisexual figure.

(This biographical statement was written by Malena Glover from the sources below.)

Biography Date: July 2026

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