Local: Billy Jones / Phyllis Killer
National: Alice Walker
By Laura Douglas-Brown, | Oct. 6 at 5:00 AM
http://www.sovo.com/today/index.cfm?blog_id=21423October is Gay History Month. Every day, Southern Voice highlights a person or group that has helped shape Atlanta's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. In conjunction with the Equality Forum, we also feature a video tribute to a national Gay History icon daily.
Local: Billy Jones, aka Phyllis Killer
Two years before the 1969 Stonewall Riots, widely regarded as the start of the modern gay rights movement, Billy Jones was already performing as Phyllis Killer in Atlanta, helping bring the first drag shows to Peachtree Street.
A lifelong activist for gays, civil rights and senior citizens, Jones said shortly before his death in 2003 that he hoped his legacy would be "that I helped carry out the fight for freedom and brought beauty into the world."
