Unsung Heroines

I’m here this Saturday to share a small bite of storytelling with you, and one that touches on Covid-19 in a really interesting way. Even if you feel inundated right now, I encourage you to check this out.

This all started as I am currently reading a really interesting book called Game Changers: The Unsung Heroines of Sports History by filmmaker Molly Schiot. This book is a work of art, and includes pictures and stories about women from all over the world doing every sport imaginable against incredible prejudice, discrimination and danger. As I was flipping through it, admiring the book itself, I realized that it had been inspired by the author’s Instagram page @theunsungheroines.

The book is 4 years old, so I went on to her page to see what she was doing now. I am really moved to say that her page, perhaps unsurprisingly, has been turned into a place for her to memorialize the many unsung heroines from all walks of life whose lives are being taken by this pandemic.

View this post on Instagram

South Beach LGBTQ Icon Henrietta Robinson(L) Dies of COVID-19. Henrietta Robinson, one of the first transgender people to live openly in South Florida, died Friday of complications from COVID-19. It is believed she contracted the deadly virus while in the hospital for hernia surgery. Known variously as the Mother of Miami Beach, the Grand Lady of South Beach, the Queen of South Beach, and more by friends and admirers, Robinson had played an instrumental role in the development of the area’s LGBTQ nightlife and drag scene since 1959. She was 79. “Henrietta was a pioneer in the LGBTQ+ community,” Miami Beach Pride said on Facebook. “One of the first Transgender individuals to live her life in Miami Beach. She was beacon of light in the Transgender movement and a mentor to so many who struggled through the years.” With her signature blond bouffant hairstyle and retro ’60s fashion choices, Robinson was instantly recognizable around town and a regular in South Beach gay bars. She considered Twist nightclub a second home, as she had a seat on reserve and her fellow patrons treated her like royalty. Robinson was born in Akron, Ohio, in 1941. She later moved to Milton, Mass., before settling in South Beach in 1959. Robinson immediately set about to make an impact. Her drag performances were legendary before they were even legal. “Honey, I’ve been doing this for 30 years,” Robinson told the Miami New Times in 1994. “We used to have great old places back in the early Sixties.” But she faced dangers in the pre-Stonewall era. “Dressing up was illegal back then,” Robinson continued. “If you so much as wore eye make-up or even a woman's scarf in a club it was right to jail.” Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Góngora, the first openly gay person elected to the commission, recalled the impact Robinson had on his life when he started frequenting gay bars and clubs in the ’90s. "She kind of was the godmother of all of us," Góngora told the New Times. "Always somebody happy to lend a smile, a nice comment, or word of advice." VIA @theadvocatemag ⁠⠀

A post shared by GAME CHANGERS – (@theunsungheroines) on Apr 18, 2020 at 7:46am PDT

In all our worries about what 6 feet of distance means, how to wear a mask properly, and who to blame for the pandemic, I think we lose sight of the fact that each death is ending someone’s story too early, before we get to know what could have happened.

While that is devastating, Molly is doing an admirable service of amplifying the stories that these women did get to live and making sure their legacies live on, and I hope that in these dark times, some of these stories can humanize this crisis!

If you don’t do Instagram, and want to see these in another place, you can also see some of the stories on her website HERE.

Stay safe, and have a happy weekend!